Simple Toy Room Organization Ideas

Post-Christmas, our toy room looked like a hurricane hit. When you have three children sharing a basement toy room, the play space can become easily crowded. Plus, Santa seemed to bring an unusual number of large toys this year, making the room feel even more claustrophobic. We  only keep books in the children's bedrooms, so we have to maximize toy room space. My normally easy-going husband's grumblings about the space grew increasingly louder (and more annoying), plus the kids didn't even know how to begin picking up, so I decided to tackle the toy room disaster.

I googled "toy room organization" and found a variety of ideas, many of them creative and full of awesome design elements. I've tried several different versions of organizing over the past 6 years, from simple to complicated, from dull to pretty. When it comes to organizing play rooms, art spaces, puzzles, etc, I've found the following principles apply to my family:

1. KISS - Keep it Simple Stupid. Kids don't want a complicated organizational structure. They need as few steps as possible, with few variations. I went with a few large, clear bins, with accessories and small pieces placed in smaller bins inside. I also prefer bins with clip on lids because they are more secure and toddler-proof. I also took some photographs of toys, added words, and taped them to the outside of bins. We also took all of the kid's DVDs and CDs out of their cases and put them in zippered cases from the consignment store to minimize clutter and make them easier to clean up. 

The photos aren't fancy, but my 4 year-old was fascinated by them.

I tried not to fill the bins to the top or make it tricky to fit things inside.

2. Toy Storage Organizers are perfect for baby and toddler toys. Little ones can easily access and learn to put away toys. They are perfect for holding one to up to three toys per bin. Once children reach an age where multiple parts and accessories come with toys (and have younger siblings), these bins are not very effective.

I love toddler toys in here, in contrast to the mess of Barbies and My Little Ponies we tried. 

3. Function trumps Design. Right now, my kids need clear bins, simple labels, and quick access. My budget also doesn't allow for the most attractive storage items or awesome shelving units. If these are within your budget, then by all means use them. I've learned, though, that a clean, organized toy room doesn't have to look like a Martha Stewart Magazine page to be enjoyed.

 Nothing fancy here, but things look neat and organized.

4. Less is More. I still haven't learned this in relation to toys (although the kids and I did purge quite a bit recently), but a few large bins, as opposed to 25 small ones, is less confusing. Also, I've been tempted by going a color-coded route or selecting cuter bins, but the less explanation needed for an organizing system, the better.

My old strategy was play in the corners. Now it's bring it to the middle.

5. Accessibility is Overrated. This might seem counter-intuitive when it comes to kids spaces, but I've found it to be true. If every toy is easy to grab, every bin simple to dump, then mayhem ensues. If a child has to decide to access a bin of toys and pull a dollhouse or race track from the wall to play, they are less likely to create five random messes in a play area. Unfortunately, older siblings also need choking hazards and tiny parts out of reach of younger siblings, so Barbie shoes, Pet Shop, Legos, and games need to be asked-for items.

Tim made this gorgeous toy bin a few Christmases ago. I keep costumes in  here.

6. Rotate Toys and Consider One In, One Out. This doesn't need to be complicated. I sorted out many knick knack toys and things the kids had outgrown or hadn't played with in awhile to the garbage or garage sale/donation bin. I then put baby toys in a bin in case a future sibling might need them. I then allowed myself one bin of toys to rotate periodically so the toy room isn't over crowded and the kids have "new" toys to play with periodically. I'm also hoping to follow the One In, One Out rule in the future, where the kids let go of one toy each time they receive a new one to minimize clutter and overcrowding.

7. Make it Their Space. I would love to purchase adorable framed prints for the walls, but they aren't in my budget right now. Three of the walls are also brick, making it difficult to hang anything. I have plans to re-purpose old frames and add in fabric elements in the future. For now, I decorated the walls with the kid's art,  giving them a display area and helping them feel ownership over their space.

8. You Want Your Kids to Learn How to Organize. Using a simple system can  help kids gain confidence in their own organizational skills. When a four year-old can see the toys inside a bin and follow the pictures, he can easily clean up. Keeping things organized will become more intuitive and clean up time less frustrating.

9. You Want Your Kids to Learn the Why of Organizing. When I revealed the newly organized toy room to my kids, their excitement surprised me! The room really did look bigger and their first reaction was to run in the open space. Their reaction really does make sense, though. We all feel lighter, less stressed, and happier in clean, organized spaces. One of my kids did pray last night that "We can keep our toys organized and not make mommy mad," though, so I guess we have a bit of work to do here.

 

10. The Work Up Front is Worth it! With all this simple talk, I have to admit that reorganizing this space took quite a bit of time and energy dedicated to planning, purchasing supplies, and organizing. It was relatively inexpensive, at about $100 for all of the bins, tape, and CD cases. I took time, but in the end, it was worth it!

Supplies For Simple Toy Room Organization
Large Clear Bins with Lids that Clip
Small, Clear Bins
Toy Storage Organizer for baby or toddler toys
Packing Tape
Digital Camera
Paper
Scissors
Kid's Art
CD Cases

I know that many people are in full organization mode with the new year! Feel free to share links to your blog posts with organizational tips as well.

You might also be interested in my Craft/Computer/Puzzle Room Redo!