Is there a toy crap shoved in every nook of your home?
Or maybe you often find some little toys under your foot? (Ouch…)
It’s time to get those toys under control!
Here are toy storage ideas to help you keep them all organized, without forgetting the love and fun you and your kids have when playing with them.
Let’s do this!
1. Get some inexpensive bins.
Toy storage doesn’t have to be expensive. When organizing you can always go to Target or the dollar store and buy some nice-looking containers.
Just label them so that you know what toys they contain without having to look into the inside.
Feel free to decide which type of labels you want.
Will it be the usual labels printed on paper? Or maybe chalkboard labels that you can easily erase and change? Or will it be drawings that represent the toys’ category?
You decide.
2. Make a mini shelf for toy cars and trucks.
The idea to give everything a room in the house is very much appreciated here. In this tip, you’re giving your kids’ toy cars and trucks a designated place.
And that’s this little shelf.
Looking so nice, don’t they? They look like a home decor too!
It’s so inviting even for a parent! The toys seem to be saying get your work off your head Momma and just come here, relax and play with your kiddo!
3. Hang the little cars.
Get some magnetic knife bars and stick the toy cars on them.
This won’t work with plastic. The toy cars must have metal bottoms to stick.
If your cars have plastic bottoms, you have to glue just enough magnetic tape at the bottom for them to stick.
4. Invest in a rolling cart.
Do your kids love dragging their toys to the living room and in other rooms in your house?
One way you can help them to clean up on their own is a rolling cart with drawers. Then get some small containers from the dollar store to categorize every toy collection they have.
This is especially perfect for those little toys (like little dolls) that often get shoved in every corner of your home.
Your kids will surely love rolling that cart wherever they go! You can easily make them pick up the toys too when playtime is over.
5. Keep a rolling bin under the bed.
The concept is pretty much the same with the rolling cart.
Keep a bin with wheels under your kid’s bed for those toys that are played during bedtime.
It’s also a very easy toy storage solution for those stray toys that often end up under the bed.
6. Implement a toy rotation.
It’s normal for kids to get bored with their toys and ask for new ones.
But you don’t always have to buy every time your kiddo asks for it. Toy rotation is a much better alternative.
Group your kid’s toys into bins and take out only one bin a day. When your kid asks for new toys, take out another bin with a different set of toys. The kiddo will be excited to play with his toys, which he hasn’t seen for a while.
Toy rotation helps to nurture your kids’ imagination as they get to focus only on a few things at a time. They also get to use the same toys in different ways.
Now, while toy rotation benefits your kid a lot, it helps you even more in organization. How many toys do you have in one bin? That’s the only toys you will have to pack up at night.
7. Assign a container for each Lego kit.
You’re probably laughing at me right now. How in the world are you suppose to put all your Lego collections back into their kits?
If you keep coming across random Legos around your house, throwing them in baskets mixed up together with all other Lego pieces, convincing yourself that you will deal with them “later”, and cringe on the idea of getting them all sorted, then you better take this advice seriously.
I know this is going to be a really tedious task, especially if you have expert level kits which contain thousands of pieces. But once you’re done, you’re going to have every Lego piece sorted out, in their proper kits, ready to be assembled and played with again.
If you’re thinking this is kinda impossible, you could use some inspiration from Megan. Learn how she managed to put back every Lego piece back into their kits.
8. Color code your Legos.
Okay… here’s an easier way to organize your Lego.
If you have already decided that you will not be putting your Legos back to their kits, then just sort them according to their colors. At least they are not all mixed up together.
9. Hang the stuffed animals in a DIY hammock.
Ah… Don’t they all look so adorable?
A knit piece of cloth is used in this DIY toy storage project. Knit can stretch down so when you put the stuffed animals into it, they’ll look like they are on a vacation.
Just kidding! Of course it has to stretch down so that you’ll have this kind of effect in the room – like the stuffed animals are enjoying themselves just hanging in there.
Place this hammock in a free corner in your kid’s room.
10. Use hanging planters.
Here’s another way you can keep your stuffed toys organized in a fun way – keep them in hanging garden baskets.
The effect looks like the hammock, just no stretching. And the location – these planters are mounted low on the wall.
More baskets can be added to hold other toys and playbooks.
11. Keep the animals swingin’
Can’t get enough of this hanging stuffed animals. Here’s another!
Have those really big stuffed animals? You might want to consider this.
You’ll need some pieces of wood, hooks and clothesline or rope to build this. How many levels to make depends on your need for storage, and the volume of stuffed animals that you’ll allow in your home.
A little bit of caution though. Your child may attempt to climb on the swing, which can cause an accident. So use your good judgment if this toy storage is appropriate in your home.
12. Keep the dolls in a shoe organizer.
Using a shoe organizer is a very simple and practical toy storage idea. The dolls look so beautiful hanging in there.
No more wondering where Barbie may have gone!
13. Have a dress up section.
When I was a kid I loved playing dress up.
I would imagine I was Cinderella or Snow White but I didn’t have these fancy clothes to feel it. So what I did was wrap myself in blankets and pretended that those were dazzling gowns. Haha!
This is how I know that when your kids play dress up, it’s not just about the clothes. It’s how these outfits make them feel – like they are a princess or a superhero.
Having a dress up section not only helps in organizing these outfits, but it inspires your kids’ imagination and creativity. It reinforces their feelings and thoughts that they can be who they want to be. And that’s priceless!
The dress up section doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It can be as simple as an open closet or a towel rail on the wall.
14. Keep puzzles in pouches.
This will help you not to lose a puzzle piece and you can place all these pouches in just one bin.
If you are applying toy rotation, this also makes it easier to grab a puzzle to put into your rotation bin.
Aside from that, this is very handy when travelling.
15. Have a clear carry-it-all bag.
The concept is pretty much the same with the puzzles in pouches. Your little ones can easily carry this around the house and it’s very handy for travelling.
When they’re done playing, encourage them to put everything back into the bag. It’s also very easy to see what’s inside, so no more guessing!
16. Create storage under the play table.
It saves a lot of space when your furniture becomes a storage solution at the same time.
Like when your kids have a play table. You can use that space underneath to keep their toys.
When it comes to this, you have a lot of choices.
You can simply add bins under the play table.
Or have one that is customized – with an already built-in storage under the table.
Even the chairs can be a storage area!
Forget perfection.
You may have lots of toys to organize right now and you don’t know when you’re ever going to finish. Perhaps you’re also thinking, when all these organizing is done, those little hands will just mess them up again.
Breathe Momma. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
You don’t have to organize these toys all at once. Work though them little by little and eventually, you will finish.
Just remember that organizing is not about perfection, especially with toys. Your kids will mess them up again, that’s a given. But now you already know a few toy storage ideas to help you.
While these may not prevent your kids from messing with their toys, these will definitely help you to minimize clean-up time so you can breathe and just have fun while watching your kids laugh and smile from ear to ear when they are playing.
Even better, you now have extra time to join them in playtime!
Looking for more organization posts? Check these out!
- Best Ways to Use Wire Baskets for Storage in the Home
- Amazingly Creative Ideas to Organize Your Craft Room
- SIMPLY AMAZING Small Space HACKS for your TINY BEDROOM!
- Practical Closet Organization Ideas
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Tips like these make me want to be a kindergarten teacher.
I don’t see anything wrong with that Bianca.:)