Today’s post comes from NannyFusion member eNannySource.com …
Do you feel like your house has been overrun by toys? Does it look like you run a daycare out of your home? If so, it’s time to take control of the toy clutter in your home! Check out these 10 different ways you can organize toys:
- Over-the-door shoe holders work well for organizing small toys. There are many shoe organizers on the market, but you should lean toward the ones where the pockets are clear so that the toys or craft items can be seen at a glance. If she can’t see what’s in the pockets then she will never play with those items.
- Use clear shoe boxes to organize like toys. The point of using clear boxes is that it allows her to see what’s in each box so she won’t have to tear everything out to find something, or she won’t ignore it because she doesn’t know what’s in the box. Organize similar items like matchbox cars, kid’s meal toys, blocks, and action figures by putting them into separate boxes. Print out picture labels or word labels so that she can match the toy to the box it goes in. This will also help during clean-up.
- Open baskets on the floor provide a place for bigger toys. By placing baskets on the floor or near the floor they will be low enough for her to reach. Label the baskets just like the shoe boxes so that she will know where to put away her toys. Open baskets are roomy enough for dolls, doll clothes, stuffed animals, bigger plastic toys, and the like. To get the baskets up off the floor you can hang a shelf about a foot off the floor and place the baskets there. Try to avoid heavy toy boxes with lids that can smash little fingers.
- Keep outside toys outside or in the garage. By moving the bigger toys that kids can ride on or other outside toys to the garage you will free up a lot of space in her room. Toys that fall into this category might be balls, hula hoops, roller skates, bike helmets, and ride-on toys.
- Bath toys belong in the bathroom. Keep a limited number of bath toys in the bathroom, either in the tub itself or under the sink in a box. Bathtub toys should be near the bathtub and not left all over the house. If the toys aren’t close to the tub when it’s bath time they won’t get played with.
Learn tips 6 – 10, and share with us your favorite tips for organizing toys!