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Do your kids have an

overload of toys?

by Maria Gracia Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Organizing for Kids and Family is available. These days, kids have an abundance of toys. It’s easy for this to happen. Stores offer a plethora of choices, and parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, etc. love to see the joy on a child’s face when a new toy is given to them. There are consequences of these “treats” though…one is that these items are easily able to take over a full room, or more, in your home. First thing is to get rid of anything that your children do not like or use, is broken, or you find totally annoying (in my case, these were always the tiny McDonald’s Happy Meal type toys that were played with once or twice, and then quickly forgotten.) Next is to start rotating your toys, so only 20% are out at any given time. I have found that kids play with their toys more if there aren’t so many. Less volume makes it easier to keep tidy. In addition, kids play with toys differently each time they are taken out due to new developmental stages. First, bring all the toys into one room and organize them by category: stuffed animals, balls, trucks/cars, books, play food, instruments, bags/purses, small toys, jewelry, electronic, blocks/construction, role play toys, and “Ask For” toys. “Ask For” toys are toys that have many pieces like puzzles, are messy (Playdoh, paint, stamps, etc.), or just need supervision, like for toys containing small magnets or beads. Put “Ask For” toys in a locked or high cabinet so they are out of rotation. The kids have to “ask for” these rather than just play with them anytime they’d like. Also take out any toys that are special to your child such as a favorite doll, bear, or truck or anything used daily for play like a shopping cart, basket, or kitchen. The rest can be rotated. Once you have it all separated by category, divide each category by the number of bins you have. Place items into the bins as you go. A good number of bins is no more than five. Label them A through E (or 1 through 5) and rotate them about every 2 weeks or when they seem bored with their toys. It’s also a great day to rotate when a babysitter is coming or when you really need to get something done. Give the rotation system a try! Back to Organizing for Kids and Family Index