Playroom and Toy Organization 101
It’s no secret that picking up every single mess your kids make can be overwhelming, no matter how much you want your kids to be creative and have fun in their playroom. Well, what if I told you there was a way to create a space for your kids that promotes both creativity AND organization?
Today we’re sharing all of our best tips on playroom and toy organization. It’s time to control the chaos and make this a space in your home that the whole family loves!
Start Using Toy Rotations
Let’s face it - most kids have far too many toys. Having all of their toys accessible to them at all times can actually cause stress for your child due to overstimulation. To avoid the stress and create more space, try using toy rotations!
Leave a certain number of toys, games, puzzles, etc. organized on your child’s shelf for them to play with for a few weeks. Then, rotate them out for new ones! Not only does this minimize the toys available for your child, therefore reducing the risk of overstimulation, but it also gives them “new” toys to play with, which sparks imagination and creative play.
Keep your toy rotation items stored in labeled bins so you know exactly what you’re grabbing and swapping. Pair these bin clips from our Etsy shop with some of our favorite felt bins to keep everything organized and looking beautiful!
Less is More
Kids need room to use their imagination. It’s okay to let your kids get bored once in a while! Boredom leads to creativity, so the fewer toys they have in their space, the more likely they are to use their creativity to engage in imaginative play. The fewer items you have out for them to engage with, the more likely you’ll see them pretending to be their favorite superhero or using items in the room to create an entire make-believe world!
Broad Categories Make Clean Up Easier
If you make your bins too specific, your kids are less likely to clean up their space after a messy play session. To make it easier on them (and you!), keep categories broad.
What do we mean by that? My favorite example is this: make a “Character” bin versus making separate bins for action figures, Barbies, Ninja Turtles, etc. You’ll find the broader the categories, the easier it is to keep this space organized and clutter-free. This also prevents having to change your labels frequently, as your kids’ interests will change over time.
Labeling
We’ve said this a million times, but labels make everything so much easier! However, if your kiddos aren’t able to read labels quite yet, we have a solution that will work for you!
Instead of using the standard word labels, try using pictures! It’s much easier for a pre-reader to look at a picture to see where their toys belong, versus being confused on which items go in which bins. In fact, you might wind up with bins of scrambled toys if you label using words versus pictures.
Once your pre-readers become readers, you can go back to a labeling method that encourages reading and organization all in one!
Why Fewer Toys Will Benefit Your Child in the Long Run
Toy overload is a real thing. Is it really the best thing for our children to have playrooms stuffed with more toys than they even have time to play with? Encouraging fewer toys in your home will result in:
Kids learning to be more creative
Kids developing longer attention spans
Kids establishing better social skills
Kids taking greater care of their objects
Kids developing a deeper love for reading, writing, and art
Kids becoming more resourceful by problem solving with the materials they have
Kids experiencing more of nature and outside play
Kids living in a cleaner, tidier, more organized environment
Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-toy, just pro-child. When you limit the number of toys available, you’ll be surprised at the creativity and imagination that was just waiting to be tapped into!
When navigating birthday parties, holidays, and well-meaning friends and family members who are constantly on the lookout for new toys for your kiddo, consider the powerful impact fewer toys make on your space and your child. I’m a big fan of requesting experiences, consumable gifts, and single-use creative activities that will open your child up to other opportunities in the world outside of the toy aisle.
So, what’s your favorite way to keep your playroom tidy and organized? Do you have something that helps keep your child’s play areas clutter-free that we didn’t mention? We would love to hear about it!
