Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Assessing the Toys
Take all of the toys in each room and lay them out on the floor of that room.
Sort the toys in each room. Broken toys should be discarded. Unused toys should be donated or sold along with duplicate toys. Involve your children so they can learn about cleaning and organizing clutter. Toys should be sorted into piles based on type such as dolls, cars and games.
Determine which rooms will be used for toy storage and which types of toys will be stored in which rooms. Board games might be stored in the living room while outdoor toys can go to a closet or into the garage. Move the toys to the designated rooms.
Organizing Each Room
Determine the best location for toys in each room. Some rooms might have only a single location such as a cabinet for games or a toy chest.
For places like a child's room or play room create a designated toy space. This space can be a toy chest, low shelves or cubby areas.
In the toy space, put each type of toy in a separate bin. The bins can be open-top boxes, plastic bins, milk crates or any similar-sized holder. The bins should be small enough for your child to lift when accessing toys inside.
On an index card write in large block letters the name of what is being stored in each bin such as "CARS" or "DOLLS." Tape the card to the appropriate bin or location. For younger children, you can draw or cut out pictures of the objects as well.
Larger toys that do not fit in bins will need designated spaces as well. These spaces should have an index card on the floor or wall where they will be placed when not in use.
Complex toys or those with many parts should be placed in out-of-reach locations to prevent accidental mixing. Label these locations with an index card.
The Clean-up Bucket
Find a bucket, bin or similar-sized basket that you and your child can carry.
Create an index card labeled "CLEAN-UP" and attach it to the bucket.
Leave this bucket near the toy storage area for clean-up times. It can be used by the child to carry toys from other rooms back to the proper room to be put away after play time.