Kids toys can get everywhere, from tiny Legos that show up all day long to toy cars that constantly get underfoot and pose tripping hazards, you have probably dealt with it all. It’s time to get organised with your kids’ toys, and we are going to give you a few tips on how to do that.
Bin It
The best advice we can give for parents who want their kids to keep their rooms clean and their toys picked up is to buy a big bin for the toys. Kids are not likely to take time to organize all their toys neatly on shelves or in some other space that takes a while to pack away with. If you give them a big bin, they can just throw everything thing in at once and save time and effort. That gets the toys out of the way and makes their room look organised. You can opt for a bin with a lid, but that can hinder them from using the bin to clean up sometimes too.
Make a Checklist
Kids often forget all the things they are supposed to do if you give them more than one or two things to take care of. That’s why it helps to write out a checklist for them. If they can look at the list themselves and even check things off as they do them, then they are more likely to remember everything and get it all done. Leave a checklist in their room of things for your kid to organise or pick up on their own. That way, they don’t have to come bother you until they are finished. Keep the checklist reasonable so that your kid won’t become frustrated, and only include tasks they can do by themselves.
Combine Storage and Play Area
Storage bins and shelves don’t have to stick out in your kid’s room. You can make storage sections part of the play area by incorporating it to the play area’s architecture. You can add storage cupboards into a play kitchen set or incorporate drawers into a boy’s space shuttle play place. This is great for those parents that like to build elaborate sets for their kids or construct intricate play areas that engage their imagination. Putting the storage spots into these areas ensures that kids are more likely to utilise them.
Use Clear Containers for Smaller Items
For those tiny pieces, like building blocks, dollhouse items, hair styling components, and more, you can use clear plastic bins to keep them all organised. That lets your kids see what they are pulling out and find items quickly and easily. It’s a great tool to help keep your kids from putting things in the wrong place and becoming frustrated. You can also use color-coded boxes or simply write on the boxes what goes into each one. This saves frustration and clean-up time as well.
Set Clear Expectations
If you have put out plenty of storage containers for your kid but you still find toys everywhere all day long, then you need to put your foot down on when you expect toys to be picked up. Give your child clear instructions about your expectations. You can tell them that you expect toys to be picked up by suppertime or bedtime and that they should never get out more toys than they can pick up in a few minutes. You can also tell your kids to have all their toys organised in order to earn rewards, as encouraging them can often be the best incentive.
Use Underdrawers
Space may be at a premium in your child’s room, and you might have to be inventive about how you keep them organised. You can install drawers under beds, under windows and in other places it may make sense to do so. These pull-out storage spaces make use of room you already have available and help to keep the room looking tidy at all times. You can help your kid stay even more organised by labelling the drawers clearly so that they know where everything is supposed to go.
Use Color Coordination
Kids can have a tough time remembering where everything in their room is supposed to fit. You can use a simple color coding system to help them sort it all out. Just color certain shelves and drawers one color and others in a different color based on what is to be stored there. So, army men can go in the green drawers, blocks can go in red or grey drawers and so on. You can assign colors in a random fashion so long as your kid knows what is supposed to go where. Adding this visual cue into the organisation process allows kids to work quickly without having to think too hard about where each item is supposed to go. Adam who manages Diamond move out cleaning says “They may like to clean up quickly to move onto the next activity, and you can help them out by ensuring they don’t have to slow down to read the labels.
Add Pegboards
An easy addition to any room that helps with organisation is a pegboard. Your child can hang dress up clothes there, hats, sporting equipment, baskets of smaller items and much more. The simple pegboard can clear up a lot of space from the floor, help your kids keep neater rooms and make their room more attractive. A pegboard with a complimentary colour to the rest of the room looks great in any child’s bedroom.
These are our top tips for helping get your kids’ toys organized. Hopefully, you can put these to good use and use them to teach your kids about cleaning up after themselves and taking responsibility for their actions. Depending on the kind of kids you have and the type of rooms they play in, you may be able to implement just one or two of these or most of them. There are lots of other great ways to get your kids organised and we hope that this list gives you some inspiration on how to come up with your own ideas.
