Ten Tips for de-cluttering & Organizing kids toys

My son used to have a big problem with leaving his toys everywhere!! We had to put an end to that! Well, he still has to be reminded to pick up even at age 9 but now he is getting better at that.

I'm sharing my ten tips which help us to de-clutter and stay organized.

1.)Utilize Your Space.
Depending on how much room you have, it seems like you never have enough. Make use of your space and try to keep all toys either in your playroom or child's bedroom.

2.)Keep toys picked up after use. Try to make this a fun activity and make it a daily routine. (just like brushing your teeth before bed.) This save you alot of time later too if it's done each day/night.

3.Use Under the Bed Storage Totes. We keep all my sons cars and trucks in a long tote and keep it under his bed. This keeps them all in one place and saves space too.

4.)Buy a bookcase or bookshelf. This takes up less space and keeps all your children's book organized. You can keep all the different book types organized too. This really works great as the kids age. We keep all our book organized by reading level. This especially works great if you have different aged children.

5.) Separate toys by Category. This keeps it easier to find toys if they are grouped together. ( Example: we keep cars in one tote, legos in another and pokemon cards in a binder.)

6.)Use Shelves. We keep all our board games on shelves in the closet. This helps to keep the closet more organized and easy to find.

7.)Use Ziploc Bags to keep all your puzzle pieces and card games in. This helps you not lose pieces. Label them if needed.

8.)Keep Board games in the original boxes. Then everytime they are played. Make sure that all pieces are there. This way the game rules are there too. (This is a good idea if you plan to pass these games on to other siblings or sell in a garage sale.)

9.) Use Pop Up Toy/laundry hamper. Keep all your children's "Dress Up" clothes in one and keep all your teddy bears clothes in another to keep everything organized.

10.) De-clutter/ Donate. When it's time to buy new toys. Donate those toys that have not been played with to a younger family member or donate them to a homeless shelter or Salvation Army. I like to do this right before the holidays. This way your child feels good about giving his toys away and it makes room for the new ones.
Also, about twice a year I go through the toys and as your child ages, you can pass on the ones they get to old to play with.

I hope you find these tips helpful. AS your child gets older, you will notice you have way to many toys. I always noticed that the younger ones liked to play with those large cardboard boxes, so don't get carried away and buy too many toys. You will only have to find more room to store them.




Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.