This is Step 3 of the 7 Genius Steps to Sustainable Toy Organization series where I show you step-by-step exactly how to get your toys organized and KEEP them that way day after day. If you missed Steps 1 and 2, check them both out here.
Our goal for this series is to not only get and keep toys organized, but also to edit the toy collection so that every toy will get played with.
So far, we got all our toys together and sorted them.
In Step 3, we’re going to find the keepers and donate or discard the rest.
Editing and Downsizing Toys
Editing and downsizing is a key part of keeping toys organized.
Why?
Because when you have less stuff, it doesn’t take as long to put away!
Makes sense in theory, so why is it so hard to declutter and downsize?
For me it’s because there’s always this annoying little voice whispering, “but remember she did play with that toy a month ago! She’s probably going to want to play with it again as soon as it’s gone, and it’ll cost you money to replace it!”
I have to force myself not to listen to that voice!
Having fewer toys that you can easily find and enjoy will keep you from needing to buy more toys!
Think about it. Would you rather have 100 needles in a haystack, or 10 needles in a special box, containing only those 10 needles?
The 10, right?
And you and I both know there’s a reason why 100 needles are in that haystack–it’s because someone had to keep buying more needles because they couldn’t find the 90 needles they already had!
Less really is more.
The Moment I Realized I Had to Make a Change
I used to get so sick and tired of picking toys up off the floor every night.
When I was eight months pregnant with my second baby, I daydreamed about buying one of these little doodads.
I had to squat to pick anything up that late in pregnancy, and while my thighs were getting a good workout, the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day was “feel the burn”!
Ultimately the answer to my tidying up problems was to declutter and get rid of stuff.
But before I could declutter, I needed to decide what to keep and what to toss.
I needed to understand what makes a great toy.
What Makes a Great Toy?
I believe great toys have several of these characteristics:
- durable
- have good value
- can be played with in multiple ways
- encourage problem-solving
- stimulate creativity
- encourage language development
- encourage physical activity
- engage people of all ages
This toy guide goes through these characteristics in more detail, but for our intention of decluttering, the one we’ll focus on is this:
Great toys are able to be used in multiple ways and in different ages and stages.
Let’s think about an example. Like a wooden block.
Babies can chew on one of these blocks.
Pre-toddlers will tap them together or knock towers over.
Toddlers will become interested in learning about the shape, color, and number of blocks.
Preschoolers will build more complex structures and even bring other toys into the mix.
Blocks can form animal pens for little toy animals. They can also become pretend food for play kitchens. Our daughter used to pretend our blocks were scoops of ice cream when she was 20 months old!
So, you see, a simple toy like wooden blocks can continue engaging and teaching children over years and different developmental stages!
Step 3: Declutter and Minimize Toys
In true KonMari fashion, we start by selecting the toys we want to keep.
(KonMari is a tidying up method that emphasizes getting rid of stuff that don’t “spark joy” or are no longer useful. I talked about this a bit more in Step 1 which you should have already read.)
What to Keep
I only keep toys that
- the kids and I both love (duh).
- are open-ended.
- can be played with at different ages and stages.
- can be played with in multiple ways.
- inspire creativity and spark imagination.
- encourage problem-solving and intellectual development.
- encourage cross-generational play (adults and kids together).
I give examples of each of these types of toys in this guide to buying toys that last.
A similar resource I found helpful was this article on toy buying by Intelligent Nest.
The purpose of toys is to engage kids, to keep them productive, and also to meet their developmental needs (intellectual, social, and emotional).
As I decluttered and edited, I asked myself:
- Are these toys stimulating my kids’ curiosity?
- Have I noticed my child being a problem-solver or developing new skills (like counting, naming colors or letters, fine motor work, etc.) with this toy?
- Do these toys help her act out real-life situations (aka, pretend play) or deal with their emotions?
If I was able to say yes to any of these questions, I kept those toys!
Again, toys that meet the developmental needs of children will engage them on a much deeper level than the toys that only entertain.
(Don’t make me copy and paste info! Read more about foundational toys here.)
Take a serious look at what you have and ask yourself is this adding value to my kids’ lives?
Kind of deep, I know. But stepping back and looking at it from a new perspective helped me.
Toys to Toss
Some easy, non-philosophical things to toss include:
- broken toys
- any toys that are missing pieces
- toys that don’t encourage higher level thinking or creativity (the “cheap thrills” toys)
- any toys that. Drive. You. CRAZY!
(Note on this last bullet point: If any toy is making you question your sanity, toss it out. A sane mama is a happy mama, and a happy mama makes for a happy home! Just ask any husband.)
Less Toys Is More Toys 🙂
We touched on this before with the whole haystack idea. But it’s just so important that you get this.
To truly get organized and stay organized, you must always be willing to let go of things.
I used to hang on to everything “just in case.”
Just in case our daughter wants to play with these again.
Just in case I have time to fix this.
Just in case we need this someday.
Remember: Don’t listen to that voice!
And while there’s nothing wrong with any of these statements, stuff was accumulating because of these “just-in-case” scenarios and causing me undue stress!
Minimizing the number of toys (and other things in the house!) forced us to keep only things that were useful and enjoyable.
Plus it opened up space to actually play with the toys and have them displayed nicely instead of thrown in every corner of the house.
The 20 Toy Rule
How many toys do kids really need?
This article says, NONE!
But for those of us wishing to prevent a toddler mutiny, try the 20 toy rule.
What’s the 20 toy rule?
Well, it’s kind of like that what 3 things would you take with you on a deserted island question.
Only with toys. And with 20 of them. And not on a deserted island.
So not really like that question at all, now that I think about it…
What were we talking about?
Oh right, the 20 toy rule.
The 20 toy rule is this:
Each kid gets to choose 20 toys to keep.
A kid can get a new toy, but each new toy must replace another toy.
You can decide what counts as “one toy.”
For me, I count some sets as one toy, while others I count separately.
Such as an entire set of LEGOs I would count as one toy, as long as they fit inside of one plastic container.
However, two identical Barbie dolls? One of them should probably be let go.
You can decide with your kids which toys to keep that won’t count toward the 20. (Like special collections, iPads, etc.)
Also, the number doesn’t have to be 20. It could be higher or lower.
This is not an exercise of punishing your kids. But do use it to teach them to appreciate what they have.
Toss and Donate
It’s about to get fun! Here’s where you will start to feel like you’re making progress.
I set up two boxes labeled “Donate” and “Trash” and filled them up appropriately as I sorted through the toys.
Then, I immediately took those unwanted toys OUT of the house!
It was so liberating! And motivating!
That being said, I do understand that it can be difficult to part with some things.
Try this: store unwanted toys in a box for a season.
Once the season passes, if you haven’t opened the box or even thought about the contents, donate it!
The key to this though, is the word SEASON. As in three or four months.
Don’t let clutter stay in the house past the four month mark, otherwise we’ll have to do this whole thing all over again.
Ain’t no one got time for that!
7 Genius Steps to Sustainable Toy Organization: Summary of Step 3
In Steps 1 and 2, we gathered and sorted the toys.
For Step 3, we decluttered and minimized the number of toys we have.
You may have decided to implement the 20 toy rule.
At the end of the day, you should have less toys in the house!
Hooray!
That means there is less to clean and less to keep track of!
Comment below your thoughts on the 20 Toy Rule. Does that sound like too many toys, or not enough?