Organizing with Kids: Toys

It's time to open up Pandora's Box! Well her Toy Box anyway.

This week I am continuing on in my mini series about organizing with kids. Today we're going to talk about toys.

Toys are a lot like clothes. They take up space. People like to give them to you as gifts. Kids outgrow toys. Kids throw toys ALL OVER the place. Toys pile up.

Having kids means having toys.

Don't worry, I love toys. My rule is that if I don't think it is fun to play with myself, I don't buy it. I enjoy my son's toys, I enjoy buying him toys, and I enjoy organizing them. I am not a toy hater. It keeps me in touch with my inner child.

You will need to decide how many and what type of toys are appropriate for your lifestyle and your kids' interests and stages. That being said, some of you are drowning in excess toys, they are taking over your life, and it's exhausting you.

Remember, you set the tone for how your house runs, and where things belong. If you don't set it, it will be set by your kids and they are not naturally known to be orderly and clean. But you would be surprised what they can do if you give them the proper environment.

I think it is possible to have a realistic amount of toys in any type or size of home and still have order and sanity.

Transitional Living Room by Vancouver Interior Designers & Decorators Enviable Designs Inc.

Here are some tips for keeping your kids toys organized.

• Designate specific areas for play, reading, and crafts.

For play, I recommend an enclosed playroom if you can. If you don't have that option, use any zone that has some type of defined boundaries. This could be a formal living or dining room you don't use, an office, a nook, a corner, etc  Any place you can make a "home base" for the toys that has enough space to play in safely and in sight of or in earshot of an adult. It doesn't have to be huge.
You can always take some toys out from there and bring them somewhere else if you need to.

Contemporary Kids by London Interior Designers & Decorators Amory Brown

For reading, create a cozy corner in your child's bedroom. My son calls his the "quiet corner." All his books are on a shelf next to it where he can reach them. (make sure your bookshelves are attached to the wall). This is where we read at night, and he goes there to "read" every morning when he wakes up. It can be as simple as a big pillow and a blanket.

Eclectic Kids by London Artists & Artisans Tracey English/One Apple Designs

For crafts, I think the best and easiest place is the kitchen or dining table. There is room to spread out, durable flooring underneath, and you can do some dishes or clean while your kids are coloring if you need to. Store things in designated containers, like "play dough" and "art supplies" and put them in an out of reach closet or cabinet nearby when not being used.  If you are short on space, stick to the basic crayons, markers, paper and play dough. You can always go out and buy a few things for a specific craft every once in awhile.

Contemporary Kids by St. John's Photographers Becki Peckham

• Keep like things together.

If you have a play kitchen, keep the food and cart next to it.  Put all the trucks in a "truck box". Put the train and tracks in a basket. Keep the puzzles in one basket. This makes it makes it easier for kids to find toys to play with, but also to help clean up.  Store items in baskets with open tops or in clear boxes so it isn't a mystery what is inside. 

• Rotate toys.

Keeping a smaller amount of toys out not only keeps your play area cleaner, it keeps toys feeling new. Do this every few weeks. I even change the location of some of the toys that I keep out, just to keep it feeling different. When you do get a new toy, make it a point to put up a few that aren't getting as much use. Then when the new one gets boring, you can swap. Keep out two puzzles if you have five, one train set if you have more than one, etc.

Traditional Kids by Dallas Media & Bloggers Sarah Greenman

• Keep only age appropriate and relevant toys in the play area. 

 In the same way you swap out clothes that don't fit, do the same with toys. If you want to hang on to them for future kids, put them in a storage area until you need them again. I like to go to places where I can let my son play with things to see how interested he really is before I commit to buying. 

• Make the most of your existing storage.

Most people have sufficient storage space, they just aren't using it to its full potential. Most closets can be customized using various built in or freestanding options. Consider hiring someone to come in and measure your storage and design your closets in a way that will work for you.

Eclectic Kids by Cambridge Architects & Building Designers LDa Architecture & Interiors

• Use toys and toy containers as decor

Toys come in all different colors and shapes. Choose a few toys that have visual appeal and leave them out on a shelf or on a table. This makes them fun to play with and look good too!

Contemporary Kids by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators Jodie Rosen Design

If you stop by my home during the day you will see toys. Toys being used, dumped, brought outside, driving around, or stuck under the couch someplace with the motor still running. 

When the day ends, toys go back to the playroom. Before dinner, art boxes return to the closet.  At bedtime, books go back on the shelf. This allows a fresh start tomorrow and mental space for you at the end of a long day.

Love your kids, get messy, take stuff out.

Love toys, and love your home-by keeping toys organized and manageable.