This is Step 5 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 through 4, go back to Step 1 here.
Welcome back to the 7 Genius Steps to Sustainable Toy Organization series!
7 Genius Steps to Sustainable Toy Organization
Let’s recap Steps 1-4 for the newcomers.
First, we gathered all the toys in the entire house and sorted them.
Next, we decluttered and kept only the best toys.
Then, we found a place for each toy using the concept of play zones in the main play areas.
If you missed a step, be sure to check them out below and come back when you’re ready for Step 5!
Steps 1 & 2: Gather and Sort
Step 3: Finding Keepers
Step 4: Decide Where to Keep ‘Em
Steps 1 through 4 were a lot of work, but we’re almost to the finish line!
Remember our goal for this series: to organize toys in a sustainable way to ensure that every toy gets played with.
So without further ado, Step 5.
Step 5: Organize and contain toys.
Once you’ve decided where kids will play and which toys belong in each zone, it’s time to organize and contain those toys!
Display Toys at Eye Level
I recommend displaying toys at kids’ eye level or below (Montessori style!) for two main reasons.
Having toys neatly displayed and easily accessible encourages children to play with them!
Have you ever seen a kid at a toy store? Where ALL the toys are nicely displayed?
The toys on the shelves entices them to come and play.
We used to have a big toy box.
I noticed that my daughter would dump everything out of the toy box and ended up not playing with any of the toys.
She was overwhelmed by the pile on the floor and just plain forgot what she had even been looking for in the first place!
Now, we have a low media stand that’s perfect both for toy display and for use as a play table in our oldest daughter’s room.
The second reason to display toys is that having toys in specific places teaches kids to put things back where they belong.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
With these two reasons in mind, put away the toys that will be displayed (ideally a variety from different categories) first.
If you need to contain small parts, do so now as you’re putting the displayed toys away.
Then, move on to toys that will be stored for toy rotation or put up out of reach. These typically require more organization and thought!
You can use whatever boxes or bins you have for now, but if they are mismatched or unattractive, consider switching to clear, uniform storage containers soon.
How to Store Toys and Keep Them Organized
To store toys for toy rotation and make sure they stay organized, keep toys separated by category or type; use uniform, clear containers; and label the containers.
Let’s discuss using uniform, clear containers for a moment.
First of all, using matching storage boxes encourages them to be put away neatly.
Think about it. When you scroll through pictures of organized spaces, don’t the ones where everything looks the same catch your eye?
Personally, I get more excited than I probably should when things match perfectly. I’m more motivated to keep those areas neat, and I’m proud to have those things on display.
Secondly, clear storage containers make it easy to see what you have.
Of course, boxes will be labeled, but what happens when you have multiple items under a broad category in those boxes?
There’s nothing I hate more than trying to find one specific thing and having to take down and open up ten boxes before I find the right one.
Your kids will be searching for a certain toy one day, and while it may keep them busy for a while, eventually they will create a mess searching for it or have a meltdown because they can’t find it.
Neither of these are preferable.
Save yourself a few hours of picking up toys and calming down children and use clear toy bins.
Here are several great ideas for toy storage.
Toy Storage for Kids’ Use
Matching, clear containers are perfect to store toys that kids can pull out as needed.
They will encourage neatness, and clear containers will help kids see what they’re pulling out.
But make sure that kids can actually get to and use the organization bins that you choose!
It’s no use having fancy bins if the kids make you come over and open them up every time they want to play.
Another tip to help kids maintain toy organization is to label boxes with pictures instead of words.
Teaching Mama has free customizable picture labels on her site.
Even if you aren’t using containers and just using shelves, you can label the spaces with what is supposed to go there.
This will help the little ones know where things are supposed to go when they’re doing using their toys.
Summary of Step 5
Step 5 of the Sustainable Toy Organization series was huge!
Toys finally got organized and put away on shelves and in containers, and I hope they look beautiful in your home.
Steps 6 & 7 will be combined into one post tomorrow, and after that, you will have all the toys organized and have strategies for keeping them organized!
Thanks for sticking with me this far, and if you missed a step, be sure to check them out below!
Step 1: Gather toys
Step 2: Sort by category
Step 3: Finding Keepers
Step 4: Decide Where to Keep ‘Em
I’d love to hear how your toy decluttering and organizing is going. Comment below or send me a message on Facebook!
Also, do you prefer clear storage totes you can see into, or pretty/uniform storage totes? Comment below!
If this series has helped you in any way, please share it! Let’s work together to get our homes organized! 😀