Toys & Playroom Decluttering
The Miracle of Having Organised Playroom Toys
Where there are children, there are toys. And where there are toys, there is the potential for full-blown chaos to reign. Keeping toys in order is possible, and you’ll find toys last longer and your children are more inclined to spend time playing with the toys they have. Too often having too many toys means they can easily get overlooked. Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with many families. How to organise toys in the playroom is often a topic of interest. It’s important to teach children how to keep a clutter-free playroom.
As soon as your kids are old enough to start packing up (around 2 or 3), it’s great to involve them in decluttering so it becomes a natural part of life for them. When you want to declutter your kid’s room, avoid decluttering in stealth mode (decluttering while they are at daycare or school) as it creates a fear of letting go in kids and mistrust toward you, their parents.
Some kids are more sentimental about their things than other kids, especially young kids. In the decluttering process, rather than asking what they can declutter, ask instead what it is that they really want to keep. Create a natural limit of sentimental items they can keep by having a special box. Once their special box gets too full, go through it with them to only keep the pieces they still love. Follow the natural limits of your child’s room or playroom as well.
Playroom Toys - Our Decluttering Tips:
Whether you need some simple tips to declutter playroom toys or some major help, the following tips will help you declutter your kid’s room long-term.
Everything Together
The first step in making an accurate stocktake of what toys your children have is to gather them all together in one space. This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to keep them all together in one room. Having them together will help you to know exactly what you have in your home. At this point, it’s also important to understand your closet space. Knowing just what you have and where you can store it will help you and your child prevent clutter.
Broken Toys
Grab a garbage bag and throw any broken toys straight in the bin. These may be puzzles with missing pieces or remote-control cars you’ve lost the remote for. If you have a child who finds it hard to part with damaged toys, explain to them that toys aren’t meant to last forever, and if they are broken, it is a good sign that they used their toy to its full potential.
Outgrown Toys
Inevitably you’ll also find toys that are in good condition, but that your children have outgrown. This is normal. By sending them to an op-shop or selling them you’re giving them a new life with a new family. Some children get all nostalgic about their baby toys, but rather than keep them out of guilt, suggest taking a final photo with the toy or helping them think about the new child who will enjoy playing with the toy too.
Not Interested
Kids love new toys, but they don’t always respond the same to all toys. Has your child ever been given a gift that you expected would be a huge hit, but they’ve never been interested in playing with it? Rather than let your kid’s toys gather dust in your home, be OK with donating or selling any toys your child doesn’t enjoy. Remember that having the floor space free of clutter will allow for more creative time in their designated play area.
Storage Ideas
This is the fun part – deciding how you are going to store the toys you have left in your home. Do you want to keep all the toys in one room or have some in each bedroom and some in the living space? Do you prefer toys hidden out of sight behind cupboard doors or are you happy to have them in reach of little hands for ease of access? Do you want to devote entire racks to specific groups of toys? It’s easier to organize kids’ toys when you have adequate storage space or efficient toy storage ideas.
You might not have enough storage space, so this is where you can invest in storage containers. Containers are some of the best toy organizers for craft supplies and tiny toys. Our biggest suggestion when it comes to toy storage is to be consistent in the containers you choose to buy. This way, once your child has outgrown building blocks and you donate or sell them, you can re-use the container for the remote control cars they are now into. Matching containers not only look great, but they are easier to store as they can stack and use space efficiently, especially when it comes to small toys.
Good Habits
Teaching your children to pick up after themselves is a life skill they will take into adulthood. While they are still young, this will usually require modelling from you – and working alongside them as they pack up all their toys. You want them to develop the good habit of packing up when they’re finished playing with a particular toy. Using labels (either words or pictures) is a great way of making the process of storing toys straightforward.
Using a shelving unit is helpful to teach good decluttering habits to younger children. You will find that kids enjoy toys that are more easily accessible. For example, children’s books fit best in a shelving unit.
Having an organisational system is a game changer. Messy toys don’t have to be an issue in your home. It is possible to keep your family room free of clutter.
Another good habit is to establish a toy rotation system. Your children can rotate toys based on the season or their current interests. They can have dedicated storage bins that make rotating toys an easier practice. For example, if they collect stuffed animals or toy cars, they can have a designated toy box to store them.
Group Together
Once you’ve decluttered your playroom toys down to what your children actually love and play with it’s time to organise every type of toy! Group categories together so you know how much of each thing you have. It will be easier to store toys this way too. Put board games in one pile, Lego in one pile and Shopkins in another. This is also a great chance to return pieces to games that have become lost.
You may have one pile for make-believe play and another for outside play for easier toy organization. There might be one pile for playdough and another for blocks. Each home will have different categories but grouping them together will set you up for the next step, which is deciding on storage solutions.
Play Time
Now that the toys are decluttered and organised, your children will love spending time playing. The miracle is that by having fewer toys and having them organised, children are more inspired, creative and engaged with the toys that they have. At the end of the day, this is what matters most. Decluttering the playroom toys is a simple idea, but the positive effects it has are a big deal.
Here are some guidelines we follow when it comes to decluttering playroom toys:
1. We recommend going through your kids’ toys at least twice a year – once at Christmas and again near their birthdays. This way kids understand that when new things come in, there is a natural process of older things going out. Decluttering will also keep your living room and any other space in the home toy-free.
2. There are many benefits of regular decluttering. The freedom and joy you feel when your home is free from clutter are significant. Clutter causes stress, increased anxiety, depression, overwhelm, overspending, uncleanliness, and social isolation just to name a few. By being intentional about what you keep in your home and being regular in your decluttering, you’ll set your family up to be happier and more relaxed.
3. It’s really important where possible to include children in the decluttering process, especially if you’re decluttering their toys, clothes or games. Decluttering is modelled, so teaching your child these good habits early will set them up for life. Explain to your children why it’s important to declutter and give them a choice in the process (I can see you have 5 baby dolls; can you pick your two favourites to keep, and we’ll donate the rest). If children (or adults for that matter) feel that the decluttering process is ‘stealing’ from them, they’ll be reluctant. But if they understand that decluttering is giving them their space back, plus enjoyment and money, then it’s a positive experience.
4. Help children set limits on what they keep by using containers to keep their toys. Rather than telling them they have too many dress-ups and need to get rid of some, you could show them the dress-up box and ask them to pick their favourites. Once the box is full, the rest can be donated.
How we can help you:
We have decluttering packages to suit your playroom toys decluttering needs!
When you book a session with us, we’ll walk you through every step with:
- Practical hands-on assistance
- Training in establishing routines, systems and processes
- Encouragement, guidance and motivation
- A shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with, your own personal cheer squad
- We take your donations with us when we leave (whatever will fit in our cars)
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