How to Organize Toys

Yes, your kids’ toys really can be organized so they are easy to pack away.  Check out these best tips and ideas to help you organize the kids toys, and minimise the mess!

Best Way To Organize Toys Once And For All

1.  “A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place”

As you have probably already noticed, kids thrive in an ordered and predictable environment.  That means, the best way to organize the kids toys starts by giving a place for every type of toy to be stored when not in use.  

This will makes the pack away routine much easier because your kids know where to put their toys.  

Depending on the size and layout of your home, toy storage options could be in the kids’ bedroom, the family room or living area, a closet and/or a separate playroom.

Related Post: Family Room Toy Storage Ideas

I have used most of these options over the last 10 years to organize my own kids toys.  Right now, most things are kept in their bedrooms or my home office space.  Previously, there was a lot more toys and books stored in the living room.

2.  Have Less Toys  

Take note, this is THE SECRET to keeping the kids’ toys from taking over the entire house.   Limit the amount of toys your kids have available to play with at a time.  

LESS TOYS = LESS MESS

You could limit the quantity of toys by:

• Discarding broken toys and toys with missing pieces etc.
• Donating toys that the kids have outgrown or no longer play with yet are still in good condition.
• Buying less.  
• Asking family members to gift non-toy presents for birthdays and Christmas.
• Storing toys away to bring out on rotation.
• Downsizing the number of items in a set.  For example; If you have a toddler, you probably won’t need all 100 blocks that comes with a set.  Reduce the amount to 20.  Put those in a basket and store or donate the rest.

Related Posts: 3 Steps to Teach Your Kids To Successfully Declutter Their Room

3.  Store Like Items Together  

Yes, exactly what it says!  A simple but effective way to organize toys is by grouping similar items together.

Common types of toys are building toys, dramatic play or imagination toys, educational toys, manipulatives (blocks etc.), dress-ups, active toys, soft toys, noisy toys, puzzles, and so on.

4.  Invest in Toy Organizer Bins 

Go for shelves and baskets!  Unlike toy boxes, shelves naturally encourage you to limit the quantity of toys.  Remember, less toys equals less mess!  

Baskets or toy bins are great for keeping like items together and encouraging children to select one or two toys to play with at a time.  Shelves and baskets come in all different shapes, materials and sizes.

Check out these ideas below!

Click here to order your 2 piece hanging woven baskets

Click here to order your extra large cotton rope basket

One of my favorite toy storage ideas is a simple cube bookcase.   Large toys can be stored directly on the shelves and smaller toys can be stored in the storage boxes you choose.  

With young children, a cube bookcase can be placed on its side so the toys are at eye level and easily accessible.   

Do remember safety first and make sure to fix any furniture to the wall that could possibly topple over onto your children.

Click here to order your square crochet basket

5.  Use Age Appropriate Labels  

OK, the toys have been grouped together.  Then you set them up directly on shelves or in baskets first.  Now help your kids to know where specific toys are stored and where they need to put back with labels.  

Pictures are great for younger kids, and use word labels once your kids are reading.   Love these toy label ideas below…

Click here to order your toy storage labels download

Click here to order your printable toy label download

Click here to order your vinyl toy storage labels

6.  Store Toys at an Age Appropriate Height  

For younger children, store the toys that are available for them to play with at their eye level and in easy reach.  It will make packing away their toys a lot easier for them too.  

Use higher shelves with older kids.  

Related Post: 15 Awesome Kids Book Storage Ideas

7.  Don’t Crowd Shelves Or Overfill Baskets 

Overcrowding is a guarantee for MESS! 

It happens when kids can’t easily get to the toys they want to play with.  Everything gets pulled off shelves or dumped out of basket in the process of getting to the toy they want.

Instead, space out the baskets or individual large toys on the shelves so that it is obvious where they should be returned.  

If you find storage containers are filled to the brim, it’s a reminder to change the size or number of the containers or consider reducing the number of toys again.

8.  Consider Rotating Toys 

Now this might be one of the best ways to organize toys.  A regular toy rotation can be a great option for younger kids who are in the habit of dumping all their toys onto the floor at once. 

It also helps when you want to reduce the amount of toys that are available to play with but you don’t want to give them away.  

This may also be a solution for kids (and parents) who regularly feel overwhelmed with cleaning up the mess of toys in the house.   

Here’s why one Mum loves having a toy rotation system with her kids.

My children are much more engaged with the toys than they were before we started the system. There is genuine excitement when we pull out a new bin. Before the only toy excitement my kids expressed was at Christmas or on their birthdays.

                                                                                                                                                            – Rebekah, Simply Rebekah

Several ways you can organise a toy rotation:

• Include all of the toys that the kids’ play with.  
• Or rotate only certain types of toys.  Leave out a few favourite toys permanently.  Eg Lego
• Rotate toys on a daily basis.  
• Or rotate toys every 2 to 3 weeks. 

9.  Keep Your Toy Storage Simple  

Make it easy and quick for kids to pack away their toys.   Kids may not be able to follow through on a storage system that is too involved and time consuming for them.  For example; organizing Lego storage by colours.

As your children get older they may choose to have more elaborate or detailed organizational systems for their own toys themselves.

Even then still encourage them to choose storage options that make packing away quick and easy.  Especially if they are procrastinating  with keeping their stuff organized and tidy.

10.  Have fun with it!   

When you are following the ways mentioned above to organise kids’ toys, you will find that there is more calm and order with the kids playtime.  And hallelujah! Less toy mess in your home.  

But practicalities aside, this is also an opportunity to be creative and have some fun with how you organize.  Whether that’s incorporating the kids’ artwork into a wall display, using a pegboard to display Nerf guns, or simply creating a cosy corner for reading and book storage. 

Have fun!  Enjoy! 

Decorate your kids’ play area with fun printable wall decor…

Click here to order your set of 3 playroom wall decor prints

Click here to order your printable We Play Here download

Click here to order your set of 6 playroom prints

Click here for more helpful toy storage ideas…

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