Are you familiar with the pain of stepping on a LEGO, or have you ever tripped over a ball? Does your home seem cluttered with toys regardless of your endless efforts to keep it neat? If your answers are yes – we’re here to help! In this article, you’ll be able to find some helpful toy storage ideas as well as tips on teaching your kids organisational skills.
How to teach your kids to be organised?
This sentence probably made you laugh out loud because it seems impossible to imagine that your lovely little rascals can master this skill. But don’t be fooled – they can! You need a little bit of patience and a way to make putting away toys or doing other chores fun. Soon enough, you will be getting your well-deserved self-care time!
Ways to teach your kids organisational skills
- Set a positive example – If your pantry is always messy and if you always leave your stuff all over the house, you can’t really expect your kids to have a habit of tidying up. Kids learn from us and copy our behaviours – good or bad. Make sure to set a positive example by changing your bad habits. This alone won’t instantly make your children organised, but it is an important first step.
- Set up a cleaning ritual – After your kids finish playing, let them know they need to put their toys back in their place. Help them out at first and make sure this is done every time they finish playing. Children are creatures of routine, so it’s essential to repeat this ritual until it becomes one. Soon after, your kids will start doing this without being asked.
- Invent games – Everything is more fun if you turn it into a game. For example, play a song and have your kids try to put all their toys away before it ends. Try giving them small challenges such as sorting all blue blocks in one bucket or all stuffed animals on one shelf. Use your imagination – that is the language kids understand the best.
This all might seem complicated and exhausting, but it is worth a try. Not just for yourself and the sake of your free time but primarily for your children. This way, they will learn responsibility as well as gain needed organisational skills.
Organise your kids’ room
Whether you have a playroom or your kids play in their bedroom, you should organise it so that it spurs creativity and learning. Make sure that everything in the room has its place. For example, put all LEGOs in one bucket and all colouring books on one shelf.
Consistency is vital – try not to be lazy and involve your children from the beginning. Ask them where they would like to keep their toys and decorate their room according to their preferences. At the end of the day, it is a space you’re creating for them.
Kids like to personify things and can get really attached. Therefore, keep their favourites somewhere where they can easily reach them. Your kids probably don’t play with half of their toys. With their help, decide which to keep and which you can donate or toss.
Remember – safety comes first! Make sure that nothing in your kids’ room is hazardous. For example, don’t put full boxes on top of each other – this can easily collapse when your child is trying to reach something.
Fun and easy toy storage ideas
Here comes the fun part – we present you with some simple toy storage ideas that you can try at home.
Repurposing is key
You probably have many things at home that you can use for storing toys and that you haven’t thought about. If you just recently moved, you probably still have moving boxes lying around. Old moving boxes can easily be reused and turned into storage space.
For example, an old laundry basket can be ideal for putting toys away. Use it for toys your kids mostly play with – it becomes easy for them to return them to their place when they’re finished.
Plastic tubs that can easily be stacked
Almost every family has a stack of plastic containers with lids – they are great for storing all kinds of stuff. They are especially great if your kids have many smaller toys with lots of parts or enjoy arts and crafts. Put a label on each container, and that way, you won’t spend so much time looking through tubs and searching for that one toy that seems to have vanished.
Furniture with storage space
Another excellent option for getting additional storage space for toys is furniture. Different types of multi-functional furniture are getting more and more popular for storing purposes, and this can make a lot of difference, especially if your living space is small.
In the kids’ room, you can always get bunk beds with drawers. The living room can be enriched with a nice ottoman or a bench that opens up. Those are great aesthetic solutions, and they keep your kids’ toys at hand. Coffee tables with drawers are great for storing puzzles, board games and other games that, at the same time, promote learning.
Shoe rack for toys
One of the best toy storage ideas we’ve found is using shoe racks for toys. You can hang them on the back of the room or closet door and use them for storing all kinds of toys. Stuffed animals fit perfectly but so do action figures and Barbie dolls – depending on your kids’ preferences.
Woven baskets
Woven baskets are not just practical; they are very aesthetically appealing. The best part is that you can find them in all shapes and sizes and go well with any wall colour.
Woven baskets look nice in any room. If your children like playing in other parts of your home, for example, the living room, get a lovely woven basket to store their toys – it is an excellent asset for any adult space.
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Final thoughts
Having kids changes everything. Although your lives might get more chaotic, and you might feel more exhausted than ever, there are always tricks and advice to make your parenting tasks a little easier. Plus, it’s all worthwhile when you see smiles on their little faces. We hope you enjoyed our list of toy storage ideas and that we’ve helped you find the most suitable solution for putting away your kids’ toys.
Meta description: Do your kids leave toys everywhere and make your house look cluttered? Keep reading to find some toy storage ideas and tips for keeping your kids organised.