7 Tips to Taming the Playroom
I didn’t have a lot of toys as a child, but I did get a lot of play value from the ones I had. My favorites included Newborn Thumbelina (pull the string and her head and body wiggles) and a couple of Barbie dolls (probably not the real Barbie but one of the many knock offs!)
Nowadays, our kids have so many toys, and rather than getting a lot of play value from a few favorites, they seem overwhelmed with the many choices. And kids are not the only ones overwhelmed; parents are getting pretty tired of tripping over dolls, trucks and blocks.
With the holidays just around the corner, it’s a good time to help our children pare down their toy collection with the goal of making room for the new ones to come.
Here are my top 7 tips on how to organize the toys so that they don’t take over your home.
- Divide and conquer by sorting toys into 3 piles: Favorites: toys that are enjoyed on a regular basis (these stay). Damaged: toys that are broken or missing parts (these will be tossed). Outcasts: toys that the kids have outgrown or never really played with in the first place (these will be sent to charity). When taking toys to charity, get your children involved. Once they see the value in giving to those less fortunate, they may be more willing to let go.
- Organize the toy room in zones: The dress-up zone, the dolls zone, the play kitchen zone, the craft zone, the building block zone, etc. This is the model used to keep kindergarten classrooms organized.
- When it comes to storing toys, traditional wooden toy chests are not very useful. Most kids empty them out and climb in or small toys get all tangled up, damaged and forgotten.
- Use small, clear, open plastic bins (no lids) on shelves and sort toys into similar categories to make finding and tidying up a breeze. Label them with pictures if your child is too young to read. Small, lightweight containers with handles are easier to pull off the shelf.
- Make sure shelves are low (no more than 3 shelves high) so kids can reach their favorite toys. Secure shelving to the wall with brackets to avoid tipping.
- For older children, use plastic freezer bags that zip up to keep small game pieces or puzzle pieces together. (Small children may put the bags over their heads, which could pose a hazard).
- Children’s books usually don’t have spines, so placing them on a bookshelf makes locating favorite books difficult. Solve this problem by storing books in plastic bins with the title of the books facing front.
Let’s bring the fun back into playing with toys by decluttering and organizing the playroom. Next week, I’ll be sharing my playroom maintenance tips, so the room not only looks organized but stays that way. Do you have any tips you’ve tried over the years that has helped tame the toy-room?
I grew up in a bedroom that was filled with clutter – before turning off the light to go to bed each night, I’d make a quick mental map of my floor so I’d know where to step to get to my bed safely.
I moved out when I was 18, and now, at 24, I’ve revisted my parents home where my room looks the same – and I tackled it. I cleaned and purged and it was the most amazing experience. I found stories I wrote as a child that I was incredibly proud of stuck to old candy. I found photographs of old friends, and a beautiful drawing my father drew of me buried under clutter (it is now in a frame).
Hellen, I couldn’t have done it without you. I can’t explain what a lightness it has given me, knowing that back home there is a room that is clean and filled with all and only my favourite things. I felt like I had time travelled and I was giving my childhood self a gift – the bedroom she deserved. Now when I go home to visit my parents I can relax and enjoy my stay without feeling overwhelmed.
I just want you to know I really appreciate these tips so that I can better understand how to organize myself and to make sure that when I have children they will never have to live in that stressful environment.
I want you to know how much you have helped me grow by all your publications. Thank you with all my heart.
Angie (Ottawa)
Angie, I congratulate you for what you accomplished – I know it wasn’t easy and took a lot of courage. I’m so happy for you I just want to cry! It’s amazing stories like this that makes my work so rewarding. Thank you for taking the time to share how decluttering has impacted your life. I know it will serve as a tremendous inspiration for all who read your story.
What can you suggest to help a child (age 7) who won’t part with any toys (broken, damaged, outgrown)? We have tried rational argument, appealing to emotions, and no way will he part with anything. The irony is that 70% of his toys are hand-me-downs from neighbours (we were their designated charity)! I have pointed out that he could bless others the way he was blessed. Aside from a surreptitious clean out of broken and outcast toys, what do you suggest?
Isabelle, my suggestion is to model the behavior you would like to see in your child. Show that you are able to part with items that no longer serve you. This will not work overnight, but you should see results eventually. In the short term, perhaps rotating toys may help; put some away and after a month, bring them out and put some others away. Also, you may want to do some detective work to determine what’s really going on because it’s rarely about the toys but often about what keeping them represents to the child.
Thanks! I will give all of these a try. We have been modelling giving things away, but agree there could be more going on in terms of what things represent. Love the idea of rotating toys.
Thanks for your helpful newsletter and blog! It helps me a lot.
Isabelle, how is the rotating strategy working? Have you given it a try? Let me know if you need any more support in this area.