Hey everyone, it’s been far too long since I’ve posted on here, but life has been busy.
In my last post, I talked about ways to improve your mental health with your daily habits, and one of the things that I’ve done over the past two years to improve my mental health is trying to know when I need to say no or stop doing something.
This past year has been busy: my consulting business has grown, I started homeschooling, and I have been trying to keep up with life in general. So, unfortunately, I needed to pause something in my life, which ended up being my blog and social media. What started as a short break turned into a long one. While life doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, I’m going to start trying to post again, and hopefully, we can find a good rhythm – I’ve missed sharing posts here!
Now that you’re caught up, let’s jump into this post. Over the past few months, I’ve been reorganizing my home. I’ve been evaluating almost everything we own and making changes to help improve the flow and organization. Our home isn’t large, so small changes help make our space more functional.
10 Tips for How to Organize Toys in Small Spaces
- Empty Each Space & Donate Unused Items
- Categorize & Group Toys
- Label Thing that Makes Sense
- Find Storage Solutions or Bins that Work for You
- Color Code Books & Toys
- Leave Room to Grow (If Possible)
- Get Rid of Large Boxes and Replace Containers
- Keep Extra Messy Items Out of Reach
- Use Space Under the Bed for Storage
- Create a Separate Space for Toys To Grow Into
Understand that There Will Be Messes
Play areas and rooms for small children is one area of the home that is bound to get messy often – and that’s OK. It means that toys are getting played with, and memories are being made. The solution is to have a designated space for each item to go back into once it’s time to clean up.
Tip 1: Empty Each Space & Donate Unused Items
My son is five, so he’s outgrown his baby toys, and we’ve fully transitioned into older toys – meaning lots of lego bricks and more books! Right before holidays and birthdays, we try to set aside items to donate, save, or add to a sentimental box. While they may seem daunting, it is worth it! Knowing what you have and how many items are in each category will help you sort and find the best place to store them.
Tip 2: Categorize & Group Toys So You Have a Designated Place for Everything
Once you’ve sorted, you’ll have a better idea of the different categories you’ll need to organize. For example, here’s a list of some of the categories we use:
- Books, Cars, Kitchen, Lego Bricks, Games, Music, Building, Arts & Crafts, Stuffed Animals
Tip 3: Label Thing that Makes Sense
Designated spaces and labels help everyone in the family know where things go. While I love using labels – not everything needs one. I recommend labeling items in large boxes and bags/bins where you cannot see what’s inside.
Tip 4: Find Bins & Storage Solutions that Work for Your Budget
I love finding bins that work for my space – but they can be expensive and add up quickly. Research and look for ones that fit your space. One cost-savings tip is to check local discount places for bins. We found our lego bins at a local discount center and paid a fraction of the price for containers that work perfectly in our space!
Tip 5: Color Code Books & Toys
When I first came across this tip, I didn’t realize how much I would love to implement it! Not only do I love how our books look, having them sorted makes putting them back into the space so much easier. The only other item we have sorted by color is our lego bricks.
Tip 6: If Possible, Leave Room to Grow
Keep a shelf or two clear of toys and stuff. It may be challenging to find space, but I have found that it helps me not feel as overwhelmed with the number of toys and children’s items we have in our home!
Tip 7: Get Rid of Large Boxes and Replace Different Containers
Toys and even games can come in large boxes can be challenging to store. And over time, boxes can break down and not keep their form. By separating them into zippered pouches, you get back some of the lost space while keeping toys and games together.
Tip 8: Keep Extra Messy Items Out of Reach
Right now for us, this includes magic sand, markers, and play doh. While they’re out of reach, they’re visible so our son can easily see and ask for the item when he wants to play with it.
Tip 9: Use the Space Under the Bed for Storage
Using under-bed storage is a great way to store extra clothes and toys. The boxes can be clear and labeled to help you know what’s in them.
Tip 10: Create a Separate Space for Toys To Grow Into
Instead of having all toys out at once, consider putting away older toys and taking them out again when they’re ready or can play with another child or adult. Doing this will help free up some extra space in your play area.
Keeping Your Space Organized
While my son is only five, he’s been helping pick up toys for the past few years. While I do the majority of the organizing, we’ve found a system that works for us. Again, like any play space, the areas where his toys are usually messy, but we have a system that helps us keep things organized and makes clean up so much easier. And it’s also good to remember that it’s OK if you’re space isn’t “Pinterest Perfect” – just create a system that works best for you and your family.
What do you do to organize your child’s space? Share your tips below!
Leave a Reply