Hello and welcome back to our organizing series!
We have been taking time to organize different rooms in your house in our “Organize Your Entire Home in 20 Days” series.
So far, we have only focused on rooms and spaces, but today, we are going to focus on things; children’s toys!
We’re going to get your children’s toys from looking like the picture on the left to the picture on the right!
On Day 8, we worked through the kids dressers and closets so today we are going to engage the kids again and sort through their toys.
Gather up the kids and get ready, today is a fun one!
As always, the first step in the organization process is to gather all of the toys together. Find all of the toys in the entire house and gather them all into one room.
This includes small toys, big toys, electronic devices and games, board games, art supplies, DVDs, books, bathtub toys, outdoor toys, and all of the in between!
By gathering all of the toys and putting them into one area, you will be able to see how many toys your children have and will set you up for the next step.
Next, categorize the toys into groups based on what kind of toy it is.
Put all of the dolls together, stuffed animals together, cars together, cooking ware together, books together, coloring supplies together, DVDs together, and so on until all of the toys are grouped together.
Once you have categorized everything into broad groups, start making even more detailed and smaller groups within all of the larger ones.
The more specific you can make the groups, the better your organization foundation will be. This ensures your children’s toys will continue to be organized long after today’s process is over.
For example, start categorizing your doll group into smaller groups based off of what kind of doll it is.
An easy way to do this is sort everything in the group by each brand! Do this for all of the broad groups.
Look at the picture below to see the benefits (look and function!) of categorizing the toys into detailed groups.
By grouping together all of the toys, you and your children will be able to easily see the toys that are played with frequently, the toys that are no longer played with, the toys that there is an unnecessary excessive amount of and the toys that are broken.
After all the toys have been categorized, it’s time to decide what you are keeping, donating or trashing.
Toys that your family wants to keep should be the ones that your children still play with and they definitely will be using in the future.
Toys that need to be donated are ones that are still in good condition but your children no longer play with, have outgrown or have too many of.
Toys that are trash are ones that are broke, you can’t find all of the pieces to, or have been drawn on.
It’s important during this process that toys are sorted through and these decisions are made. If you continue to keep all of the toys without departing with some, they will continue to get cluttered and create messes within your home.
Remember, you can’t organize clutter!
If you and your children are having difficulty deciding on what toys should be kept or donated, ask yourself questions such as, when was the last time someone in my played with this toy? Does this toy still serve its original purpose for me? How many of this one toy do I have and is more than one really necessary? Would someone else better benefit from having this toy than I would?
By asking your and your children these questions about toys you aren’t sure of, you are allowing you children to be honest with themselves about which toys they still enjoy. Any toys your children keep but don’t need will continue to add to the clutter around your house for no reason.
By giving away these toys, you are not only clearing the mess from your house, you are also allowing someone else to use them that may need them more than you.
Once you have made decisions on the toys, its time to clean the toy room.
Wipe clean any shelves and large toys. Spray disinfectant spray on the commonly touched surfaces like doorknobs and light switches in the room. Finish up by vacuuming or sweeping the floor.
After you have cleaned the room where the toys are kept, its time to contain and put away the toys.
Do you children have storage units to keep their toys in?
If yes, perfect! Start putting the toys back into bins based off the groups you previously categorized them in.
If no, then now is a good time to invest in some storage units for your kids. When your children don’t have a spot to store their toys when not being used then that’s when the mess starts to form.
Check out the picture below to see the difference a storage organizer can make.
Cubed bins with baskets and storage racks are great for toys because they have multiple dividers so your children’s toys can be stored in the categories that you previously sorted them by. These storage units are from Target and are definitely some of my favorite to use in toy rooms!
For each group of toys that you categorized, assign a certain bin for that group. Giving each group an assigned bin, you are giving “homes” to those toys which will help keep them organized going forward.
Put all of the toys in their designated bins, boxes, or on shelves.
Don’t forget to label the bins so your children can easily and quickly see where to put their toys back!
To keep your house looking tidy and toy free passed today, it’s best to have rules where toys are allowed and where toys are not allowed.
Toys can be stored in rooms that your children spend most of their time in and where toys won’t be in the way (children’s bedrooms, family room, or a toy room).
Toys shouldn’t be allowed in rooms that the children don’t spend time in or rooms that toys would clutter the area (your bedroom, your office, the kitchen, and dining room).
By setting boundaries where toys can be kept, it will help keep your house organized and prevent toys from creating more clutter.
Your children’s toys don’t have to be kept in a mess!
By clearing out old toys and creating designated spots for the remaining ones, the toys can easily stay tidy.
If you are still feeling overwhelmed with the toys or would like extra help, please reach out to the Clutterless Home Solutions Team.
Talk soon,
Clutterless Home Solutions
