Organize Toys In A Snap

In the classic movie Mary Poppins, Mary snaps her fingers and all the toys find their place in the nursery. While we can’t call in Mary for help, there are some basic strategies for organizing children’s toys—in a snap. Here’s how to start.

Tackle Trouble Spots

Organizing toys may seem daunting, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Start with the area that bothers you the most.

• Set aside a time and place to organize. If you have toys throughout the house, gather them up. Then, group like items, for example, making one pile for art supplies, another for games. You may find that you have five cans of yellow playdough.
• Get three boxes or paper bags and label them Save, Donate and Fix. Put toys your child has outgrown into the Save box if they’ll be passed on to a sibling or if they have sentimental value. Place duplicates or toys you don’t need anymore in the Donate box (if they are still in good condition). If you find books and toys that need some TLC, place them in the Fix box.
• Take a moment to congratulate yourself – you’ve already accomplished a lot!
• Put toys from the Save box into your attic, garage, or other storage area. Put the Donate box in your car or by the door, to ensure that you’ll drop it off to the charity of your choice. Some charities also pick up donations from your home. Toys in the Fix box can be dealt with later.

Keep the Peace

Once you’ve purged, you should be left with a more manageable number of toys. Here are strategies to help you stay organized and make cleanup a snap:

• Give all toys a “home.” In common rooms such as the living room, use low bookshelves, covered baskets, or cabinets. In your child’s room, use containers such as clear bins or toy chests, open baskets or bins, and shelves. Be sure children can reach the storage area, or the toys won’t go back. If you have more toys than homes, you will need to continue to sort and purge.
• Help your children get in the habit of putting toys back in their home by spending a few minutes cleaning up every day. Make a game of it, the sillier the better. Recently I got my daughter to put all of her blocks in their container by pretending it was a hungry monster which needed to be fed blocks!
• Consider the “one-in/one-out” rule: When a new toy enters your home, find one that can be donated or stored somewhere else.
• Rotate some of your toys: Periodically put some toys that aren’t current favorites in a box to be stored in the attic or a closet. A few months later, bring them back – they may be more interesting after your child hasn’t seen them for a while.

If you control the number of toys, give all toys homes, and help children get into the habit of putting them away, cleaning up can be a snap—even if you aren’t Mary Poppins.

Call Elizabeth today if you need help getting your children's toys in order.

This article was originally written for the Arlington Family Connection newsletter.