Playroom Organization

We all have that one room where we throw everything in and close the door! For me, it’s the playroom. I’m always picking things up but somehow they mysteriously find their way back to the middle of the floor. Exhausted tears followed by bags of chocolate was not working for this mama any more. Instead, I started working on a Playroom Organization plan!

Every mama knows that too many toys can do more harm than good. They end up scattered around and forgotten. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the entertainment value of toys and don’t plan on renouncing them. So this is what I did to regain control of the situation with Playroom Organization!

Purge, Purge, Purge!!

The first step in getting a toy mess under control, is to separate the essentials from the excess. Having too many toys can be overwhelming for little ones. Play should be creative and intentional. Using toys in ridiculous amounts as a distraction will only frustrate them and you. In my experience, my little ones prefer me to play with them, rather than dump them in a room with a gazillion toys and expect them to fend for themselves.

[bctt tweet=”The first step in getting a toy mess under control, is to separate the essentials from the excess. Having too many toys can be overwhelming for little ones.” username=””]

So, begin by sorting through your current toy collection, and decide which toys you think are the most intentional and maybe even educational. I usually try to keep the toys that encourage imagination, rather than doing the imagination for them. There are lots of doo dads and gizmos out there that only require little ones to sit and observe. I would suggest keeping only a few of those for special circumstances. Instead, opt for toys like dinosaur figurines or play food sets that require your little ones to be more intentional.

You’re Almost Done

Once you’ve deciding which toys make the cut, go through them again. Ask yourself, “Am I keeping this for them or for me? When was the last time they used this toy? How am I hoping it will be played with verses how will it actually be played with?” If you don’t like the answers to these questions, you may want to reconsider your decision to keep it. For example, in our house we had a certain deck of dinosaur info cards. My boys LOVE dinosaurs and I was sure they would be excited to sit and look at the pictures! Instead…they ended up throwing them like frisbees, tearing them into tiny pieces, and shoving them into the heating registers. They were quickly removed from my keep column!

Remove The Excess

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a pretty healthy “get rid of” pile! You have two options. Hold on to them for the next yard sale or donate them to your local Goodwill. The point is to remove them from the Playroom, before your little ones see them and decide the toy they haven’t touched in months (or years) is too fun to let go!

Find the Right Storage Solution

So now you’ve removed all the excess and are left with the essentials. Great job mama!! The next step for Playroom Organization is to figure out what kind of storage would work best. This is going to depend on what toys you have to work with as well as what storage areas are available.

Here’s An Example

In our playroom, we have one wall with a small built in desk and a closet that I installed a bench in. I decided not to load up the desk with toys and saved that space for our adult board games and any teaching supplies I’ve collected. The bench was the perfect height for three ten gallon bins to slide underneath! I filled those three bins with the toys I had the most of. A magnetic wooden train set went in one, giant foam blocks in another, and the last bin was filled with duplos!

I was left with a variety of toys: dinosaur figurines, hotwheels, toy food, books, large trucks, playdough supplies, stuffed animals, etc.

What Storage Containers Work Best?

Over the years, I have discovered that some storage solutions work better than others. With my first son, I used one of those three tiered rainbow bin shelves. I have to say….it was TERRIBLE! My OCD nature was always obsessed with sorting the bins and keeping like toys together. While my infant and later toddler son was obsessed with dumping all of the bins out into a huge pile. These behaviors were not complementary! A big part of being a mom is figuring out how to reduce stress as well as work! So, I started brainstorming solutions for Playroom Organization.

[bctt tweet=”A big part of being a mom is figuring out how to reduce stress as well as work!” username=””]

Lids for the Win!

My conclusion? A simple wood floor shelf and plastic sterilite 6 qt. shoe bins. Nothing fancy, because I knew my boys would quickly break it in! Toys that I didn’t want “easy access” to went on the higher shelves, and the early stage toys went near the bottom. Books were put on the top shelf, trucks were stored in a “garage” fashion in remaining openings. Stuffed animals didn’t work well on the shelf, so I tossed them into an unused playpen. Once my littlest needs the playpen, I’ll be investing in a clothe basket hamper.

Why It Works

I absolutely LOVE this method for a number of reasons! First, having bins with lids prevents tiny hands from dumping contents all over the floor! Which saves mommy hours of clean up.

Second, it encourages thoughtful decisions and independent clean up. At our house, we have a one bin at a time policy. They decide which toys they want to use. If they toss those toys all over the floor, then they’re required to pick them up before mommy opens another bin.

Third, it helps maintain a moderate amount of toys. If my boys want to get more hotwheels, but there isn’t any more room in the bin, they have to decide which ones to get rid of before they can add more!

Plan Ahead

Whoever started making toys for specific stages of development was a GENIUS! Parents buy thousands of toys for 0-6 months, then for 12 months, then for 2 years, and before you know it you have toys coming out of the woodwork! Most of which aren’t even being used!

I’m not convinced there is a benefit to having so many stages in the toy department, but there is definitely a progression from baby to toddler to older child. Legos are tons of fun for older kiddos but not ideal for infants. Using my bin method for Playroom Organization is great for storage as well! When you’re little one develops past a certain toy, you can take the bin off the shelf and store it for later!

What Toys Should You Save/Store for Later?

I’m not sure what it’s like at your house, but here we have a limited amount of storage. So, saving everything was not an option. While your little ones are playing through a certain stage, see which ones they respond to the most. Any they don’t pay attention to aren’t worth saving. But, if they have a favorite toy or ones that work really well for that stage, you might want to save for the next little one.

What the Future Looks Like

After my five years of toy purchasing and cleaning experience, I have noticed a couple of things. As your little one gets bigger, the toys they want get smaller. You go from giant blocks, to duplos, to legos! Having bin storage helps keep tiny things contained and prevents smaller children from trying to consume them.

Toys that aren’t easy to store and clean aren’t worth the frustration. If i can’t throw it in the dishwasher or laundry machine, it doesn’t stay long at our house. (That’s just my own personal preference/opinion).

[bctt tweet=”My little ones appreciate toys more after they’ve had a break from them for a short time” username=””]

My little ones appreciate toys more after they’ve had a break from them for a short time. I like to rotate my bins so they don’t get bored with them!

Playroom Organization is Amazing!

After applying this method of organization to our playroom, we have wasted less time with cleanup, my littles have learned how to clean up after themselves, and this mommy has experiences way less stress and anxiety! If you’re overwhelmed (like I was) by all the messes and clean up battles, try this Playroom Organization method for yourself!

Maybe you already have a method that works great for your family! I’d love to hear your tips and tricks in the comments below! What storage solutions have worked best for you?

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Next week we are going to tackle Closet Organization, so STAY TUNED!