Tips for Organizing Your Child's Toys

Do you feel like your child’s toys are starting to take over the house? You probably are experiencing this if you have a small child, and it doesn’t seem to matter how often you tell your child to clean up. It’s almost like the toys have a life of their own and are multiplying right before your eyes. Yet in spite of this, your children are probably complaining that they are bored and need new toys. It is time to become more organized.

One of the reasons that your child is complaining of boredom is probably because she cannot find her toys. When toys are scattered across the house, they are not where your child can find them. This might be surprising to you, since you are tripping over them constantly. You will quickly find that when you organize the toys, your child will not be bored quite as often.

The first rule for organizing your child’s toys is to use containers the child can see into. This is the problem with big toy boxes. While they might hold all of the toys in your house, your child cannot see what’s inside. The toys at the bottom might as well be lost, because your child will not find them unless she gets every single toy out, which is likely not what you want to see happen. Instead, store her toys in small clear plastic storage containers on a shelf where she can see what is inside. You can still use the toy box, but try to use it for large items like trucks and stuffed animals.

Does your child like to play with dress up clothes? Consider mounting a few hooks in her play area so that she can hang up her clothes herself. A wicker basket works well to hold the smaller dress up items that she has, such as shoes and jewelry. This keeps them up off of the floor but in sight and in easy reach when she is ready to play. If you have a little boy with a baseball cap collection, this idea works well for him too.

Now, what are you going to do with large items like dollhouses that don’t fit in storage bins? These can be displayed in the open on a shelf. Your little one can get them when they are needed for play, but at least they are off the floor and out of the way when not being used. These are likely not the items that you find yourself tripping over while you are fixing dinner, anyway. The items that multiply around your house are usually the smaller ones.

Have your child help you with the organization. This helps her to know where her favorite toys are, while at the same time showing her where to put them when she is done playing. Once everything is organized, set some boundaries. Make sure your child knows how many toys she can have out at a time. Instruct her to put them away before getting out the next one. You will quickly find that you are winning the battle with the toys, and your child spends far more time actually playing with what you have purchased for her than she did before.

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