The Joyful Sort How To: Declutter and Organize Toys
I recently asked my lovely Instagram followers to fill me in on which areas of their home they would most like some organizing help with and one of the most common responses was, “ALL THE TOYS, SO MANY TOYS, DROWNING IN TOYS”. It’s no surprise, considering that a recent study shows that children in the U.S. represent only 3.1% of the world population, but 40% of the world toy market! Read on for my top tips for keeping the toys from taking over.
Declutter
As with any other organizing project (maybe even more than any other organizing project), when it comes to toys you’ve got to address the issue of volume before any actual organizing can be done. Too many toys = too much stimulation = “Mom, I’m bored.” in a room that feels full of never-ending STUFF = frustration all around. Here’s what I recommend:
Start on your own, without any little ones around, weeding out the easy things first. Anything that’s broken or missing pieces goes in the trash/recycling, anything that’s clearly outgrown goes in the Donate bin (after-school programs, church nurseries, or local shelters are all great options for donating gently used toys), and any special or sentimental toys can be moved to a keepsake bin (I recommend one per child) or other longer-term storage.
Next, step back and do some recon work. What toys do your kids gravitate towards daily? Do the Legos always end up in one room, even though they’re currently being stored in another? Are there any games or puzzles that have yet to even be opened? Try to remove yourself from the day-to-day chaos management and just get a feel for your kids’ natural patterns and preferences.
Now it’s time to bring in the kiddos, and a healthy dose of that parenting favorite called reverse psychology! Instead of marching your children into the playroom and telling them they need to get busy picking things to get rid of, start by asking them to select the most-loved and most-used things that they’d like to keep. Having them identify their favorites places value where it matters and gives them a sense of ownership in the process.
Start sorting Keep items into broad categories - trucks/cars, games/puzzles, dress-up, etc.. These will come in handy down the road when it’s time to set up a flow in your play spaces. Try not to micro-organize, somewhat broad categories are okay here.
If your kids are having trouble letting go:
Start a bin of Maybe items and tuck it away somewhere out of sight. If they don’t ask for a particular toy from the bin within a designated time frame (say, one month) , change that Maybe to Donate.
Give each child a small bin or box specifically for their “treasures”. You know the ones I’m talking about - the annoying random stuff like drive-thru toys and single temporary tattoos and marbles and rock collections and swim lesson ribbons. The ones that accumulate like nobody’s business, but would cause a nuclear meltdown if your kid found them in the trash. Providing separate containment for these types of items makes it easier to a) keep them from junking up your main toy areas and b) zip through a quick clean-out session once the container starts to fill up. Chances are that the stickers from the birthday party favor bag that couldn’t possibly be parted with a few weeks ago may be a bit less precious once some time has passed.
Organize
Once you and your little ones have done some editing, then it’s time to start thinking about functionality and organization:
LABEL. EVERYTHING. I’m of the firm belief that there’s no such thing as too much labeling for kids. Using labels with both pictures and words makes it easy for kids of all ages to participate when it’s cleanup time. Create your own simple picture labels in Word or cut out pictures or logos from boxes with clear packing tape over the top for an easy DIY option.
Try to focus toys to only one or two specific areas of your home. My boys only have a few creative favorites (like Legos, Magna-tiles, and puzzles) in their bedrooms, in addition to their books.. The rest of their toys, specifically any noisy, flashy, brother-time toys (lookin’ at you, Minions Fart Gun that somehow hasn’t run out of batteries since Christmas 2016), live in our basement. Within your designated toy areas, group things together in zones based on the categories you established while sorting (trucks/cars, dolls, dress-up, etc.)
Keep things accessible at a kid-friendly height (unless it stains).
Sub-divide larger storage options (cube bins, toy chests/boxes, and the like.) using smaller boxes or bins to keep them from turning into dumping grounds.
Use clear or translucent containers whenever possible so that kiddos can easily see contents and identify where to return things.
Ditch bulky game and puzzle boxes in favor of mesh pouches - you’ll be amazed at how much space these save!
Maintain
“How can I get my kids to pick up their toys?” is another question that I hear A LOT. The easy, but not-so- sugar-coated answer? Hold them responsible for picking up their toys. Period, plain and simple. Don’t be a clean up martyr - stomping around after your kids have gone to bed, throwing things into random bins while you mutter threats about throwing it all into the trash under your breath. I’ve done it, it’s not fun, nobody wins. Set a daily clean up routine and, most importantly, work together with your kids. They probably clean up after themselves at school without their teachers having to constantly nag and threaten, right? That’s likely thanks in large part to having established routines (“…before we get our backpacks and line up for the buses, we clean up our stations…”) and expectations that have been clearly set. Take the same approach at home. Another great reason to simplify? Less toys means less time spent picking up.
A few other go-to maintenance tips:
Schedule a few heavier decluttering sessions throughout the year - before Christmas or Hanukkah, birthdays, and back to school are all great times. Re-sort categories that may have become a bit muddled over time (perfection is never the end goal, especially in kids’ spaces) or make adjustments to your system to fit changing interests and routines.
Be mindful of new toys coming into your home. Try practicing the one-in-one-out rule or shift more towards an “experiences over things” mindset. We’re fortunate to have a wonderful, generous extended family that loves to shower our boys with special occasion gifts. In recent years, we’ve communicated that if they’d like to give gifts, we’d especially appreciate anything that helps us spend quality time together as a foursome. Things like memberships to the zoo or science center or museums, a family round at the bowling alley, and a classic game that we can all play together have all been much appreciated.
Let me know in the comments if there are any other toy troubles plaguing your home - I’d love to help!