Tackling Kid Clutter

Ugh!  I never, ever knew how much “stuff” kids can accumulate. Let’s see, between birthdays, Christmas and trips to the toy aisle we definitely do not lack in toys for our children.  Another seemingly win-less battle?  Getting the kids to pick up after they are done playing.

Sure, I dream of having a plastic, labeled storage bin for each toy set and then only pulling one down at a time.  When they are done with one toy I would love it if they put it all back in their bins and then we can pull out another. Because of lack of funds and space, that is just a dream for now.

Because we do lack space, I have to be creative and diligent.  I have picked up plastic baskets at the Dollar store which are great for storing small toy sets.  Bigger sets like out duplo get stored in a large plastic bin and then it is put on the top shelf of the closet. We take it down after the clean up their other toys.

We also have a really cool bunk bed with HUGE under bed storage drawers.  They hold an amazing amount of stuff.  One is packed with costumes, the other filled with Thomas the Train sets.   These are a blessing, I do not know where I would keep all this stuff!

We have 1 three drawer unit that holds:  People/Animals, Cars, and Blocks.  The last toy holder in the boys room is an open bin organizer, this holds building blocks, horses and a stable, robot making pieces and learning games.  I made these items open and accessible for my littlest guy.  My older boys love Hotwheels and Legos, each have their own toolbox to store them in.

Crafts and art supplies can also become overwhelming as your children grow.  I had mine stashed, here and there and everywhere!  I did not like trying to gather everything from all over the house.  My solution:  I turned our coat closet into a craft closet.   I sorted the items, and labeled all the drawers.

To sum it all up, my 10 best strategies for de-cluttering and organizing toys in a child’s playroom:

1.  Make use of closet space, you do not have to have everything out all the time.

2.  Cycle your kids toys, take some and stash them for a few months.  When you bring them out the kids are thrilled and love them all over again.  When you pull some out, put some more away.

3.  Sort and label, teach your children to do the same.  Kids like to play in a clean, organized space.

4.  Make clean up time a game.  Set a 10-minute timer, who clean up the quickest?  Ready, set, go!

5.  Head to IKEA.com or The Container Store for inspiration on storage.  The possibilities are endless.

6.  Save shoeboxs and other plastic containers that other products come in.  Use them, label them.  I recycle a ton of this type of packaging.  I use them for toys and crafts.

7.  Each evening, the family should spend time together.  We all go into the room and help clean up any remaining toys from the day, then we all read books.  A nice tradition.

8.  Don’t be afraid to let go of some of your children’s things.  Most the time, they wont even miss it.  I remember a couple of years ago when I put the train set away as punishment.  I thought they would be devastated.  They didn’t even notice!

9.  Sell toys and baby gear at a Consignment sale or donate them to local preschools and churches

10. Utilize under bed storage, it is priceless!

Now for some FALL Cleaning and Organizing.  Go!

 

“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.”