Genius Toy Closet Organization Ideas for Busy Moms
As a busy mom trying to keep your children’s toys organized can feel like a never ending job! These Genius Toy Closet Organization tips will help!
If you’re like many parents, you know how much of a challenge it can be to keep your child’s toys organized, clean, and decluttered. But don’t worry, we’ve got some tips and hacks to help make this seemingly impossible task a breeze!
If you have kids, you have toys. If you have 4 kids, like I do, you have LOTS of toys. We live very close to lots of very generous family, so that makes for even extra toys. The stress of managing all of the toys can feel like a full time job.
I was desperate for a solution.
The solution? Moving all of the toys to one designated space and a creating toy closet organization was what helped!
Whether you have a large home with a play room or a smaller home, organizing toys in a dedicated closet is the way to go.
Any closet works. A linen closet, bedroom closet or under the stairs random closet.
Toy Closet Organization – How to Start?
First and foremost, it’s important to have a plan in place. When you’re organizing a kid’s toy closet, think about what you’re trying to accomplish. Maybe you want to make it easier for your child to find their favorite toys, or perhaps you want to create more space for new toys. Whatever your goal may be, having a clear plan will help make the process much smoother.
If you are converting a linen closet in to a toy closet, start by making sure you have enough shelving.
Whether this is a playroom closet, a bedroom closet or a hallway closet, all of these storage solutions will work great.
You can add free standing shelving our built-in shelving. Add hooks, rods, and my favorite, a shoe hanger for added toy storage. Every inch is usable space, so don’t waste any.
Toy Closet Organization Step 1: Start by decluttering
Once your closet has all of the needed shelving that you want, the first step in any organization project is to declutter. Go through your child’s toys and determine which toys to keep and what to get rid of.
Have they outgrown some and or no longer play with other?
Donate or sell any toys that are in good condition but no longer needed. Set aside any broken toys that need to be thrown away.
Next, take everything out of the closet and sort the toys in to piles of keep, donate/sell, and toss. This isn’t always easy, but it’s an essential step in making sure your child’s closet stays organized.
Be honest with yourself about what your child actually uses and loves, and get rid of anything that is broken, unsafe, or no longer played with.
Related Post: 6 steps to simplify your home with decluttering and organizing
Toy Closet Organization Step 2: Sort toys into categories
Once you have decluttered your child’s toys, begin to sort the remaining toys into categories.
One popular method is to use storage bins or baskets to group similar toys together.
For example, you could have one bin for dolls, another for building blocks, and a third for art supplies.
This makes it easier for your child to find what they’re looking for, and also helps them learn how to put their toys away in the right place.
Toy Closet Organization Step 3: Invest in storage solutions
Toys can quickly take over a closet, so invest in helpful storage solutions to keep them organized.
TOY ORGANIZATION HACKS FOR YOUR CLOSET:
Use Baskets and bins
Use clear bins to store toys that are similar in size or theme.
Large floor baskets are great for similar items that are used more often as they create a quick access. Toys such as duplo legos, train tracks, blocks, wooden toys.
I like soft baskets that have a handle, here is a similar option to what we use.
Use decorative totes and baskets with lids to bring color to the space.
Other Creative Toy Closet Storage Solutions
There are so many great storage solutions besides baskets and bins.
You can also use shelves and cubbies to keep larger toys or games in order.
Under the bed totes with a lid and wheels are great for storing items not used often and creating extra space in the closet. Here is an Amazon option if you prefer to buy from Amazon.
Shoe hangers are great for smaller toys or non collection toys that don’t have a category or lots of pieces, like a tractor or garbage truck. Those can be nicely tucked away and off the ground in a shoe hanger.
Zipper mesh bags are so effective for small toys like doll and barbie collection pieces, puzzles pieces, or cards.
Lego Organization
Use a Rolling Storage Cart for Lego. We use this one and it has been perfect. I now have 3, one in each boys room.
Game & Puzzle Organization
Use these thin plastic storage cases to store games or puzzles. Get rid of the flimsy cardboard boxes that take up way too much space and always break causing you to lose game and puzzle pieces. These cases are just the right size, snap tight to close and fit game and puzzle pieces perfectly.
Art Organization
Use an Art Caddy to keep all fo the Art and Crafts Supplies organized. I went through a lot of different options trying to keep the art supplies organized and all in one place, and this by far has been the BEST solution.
Two of my children, who I call my “Artist”, love art, are good at it and it’s not a phase or season for them. I will be managing art supplies for the 18 years they are under my roof, so for me I needed a solution that was lasting and worked.
Utilize a console table with bins
This is not in the closet, but a console table with bins is a very easy and functional way to store and organize toys.
We currently have this in our youngest sons room and it has been great to store different stem toys, cars, and books. Makes it very easy for my 5 year old to clean his room on his own without needing my help.
A freestanding cabinet works really well too
If you don’t have space in a linen closet, under the stairs or a spare bedroom closet, use a freestanding cabinet that you can designate specifically to the toys. This option can work really well!
Toy Closet Organization Step 4: Utilize labels
Another effective strategy for toy closet organization is to use labels.
Labeling your storage bins not only makes it easier for your child to find what they’re looking for, but it also encourages them to put their toys away in their proper place.
You can use simple labels or get creative with pictures and colors. Whatever works best for your child’s age and personality.
Toy Closet Organization Step 5: Keep up with the organization
Finally, it’s important to maintain your child’s toy closet once you’ve organized it. Make it a habit to regularly reassess the toys and get rid of any that are no longer being used.
Encourage your child to put their toys away in the appropriate bins, and make it a fun activity by turning it into a game or challenge.
Keep messier things up high out of reach
Keep the toys and art supplies that require adult supervision while being used up high out of the kids reach. If I don’t want them to go and grab the item on their own without me knowing, then it will definitely be stored high in the closet where asking is required prior to playing.
Some examples in our house: Play Doh, Paint, the small confetti, scissors, or small toys that are not safe for a 1 year old sibling who might get in to it.
Have a toy rotation system
What is a toy rotation system?
Having a toy rotation system is an effective way to manage kids’ toys. This simple technique involves rotating your child’s toys on a regular basis, which not only keeps the closet clean and clutter-free, but also helps your child be more creativity and helps them appreciate and use each toy longer before getting bored with it.
Once you have your toys organized in containers, create a schedule for rotating the toys in and out of your child’s closet. Depending on the amount of toys you have, you might choose to rotate them weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Use a calendar to help remember to rotate and what is next on the rotation. Take out the current toys in your child’s closet and replace them with the next set of toys in the rotation. Doing this will ensure that your child doesn’t get bored with their toys and will always have something new and exciting to play with!
Another great benefit of the toy rotation system is that it helps keep the closet organized and easy to maintain. By removing toys on a regular basis, you can better manage the amount of clutter in the closet. You can also take the opportunity to declutter your storage space and donate or pass on any toys that are no longer being used or needed.
Does your home feel like a Preschool Day Care?
Mine did! I walked out to my family room one day and besides stepping on toys nine times, was overwhelmed and tired of the chaotic mess.
Can you relate? So what did I do?
Living room toy organization
Here are some tips I follow on how to keep the toys from taking over your entire living space.
I removed all of the toys from my living room and put them in the designated toy closet. I then hand selected a dozen toys that I was ok with having in the family room and hid them in my TV Console table that had drawers.
You can use decorative bins with lies to hide toys too in the family room.
Have a couple house rules
House Rule #1: What comes out, must go back.
House Rule #2: When you want to start playing with a different toy, you must clean up the mess and toys you were just playing with.
These two rules help keep my family room from feeling and looking like a Preschool Day Care facility. It helps manage the messes and teach my kids to pick up after themselves.
You can’t just make a disaster and walk away.
How do you get your kids to clean up their toys?
Set the expectation, model the desired behavior, have house rules, and remind your kids daily and have grace and patience.
Before transitioning to a new task or activity for the day, have your kids help by quickly picking up the house, the toys, messes that were just made and their bedrooms.
This can start as young as one years old. Have reasonable expectations based on child’s age, personality and developmental milestones, but little kids actually love to help.
Sing the clean up song to help encourage your kids to clean. Make it fun, but also teach them that cleaning up is all part of playing and being a team player in your home.
Toy Closet Organization Recap
By following these tips and hacks, you can transform any closet from a chaotic mess to a tidy and organized space. With a little effort and creativity, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to keep everything clean and clutter-free!
Organization doesn’t have to be a chore. With just a few simple tips, it’s possible to succeed at toy closet organization while also balancing your busy lifestyle as a mom.
As a busy mom, taking the time to organize your toy closet will not only make finding things much easier, but it can also help teach kids the importance of proper organization and give them the opportunity to be involved in the process.
Don’t forget that putting your child in charge of clean-up can be an invaluable teaching tool for responsibility and delayed gratification. You’ll thank yourself later for establishing the habit of tidiness today!
So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by toys cluttering up your living space, take an afternoon and get organized! You’ll be surprised how much less stressful life can be with a properly organized toy closet. Happy organizing!
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