Keeping It Clean…Organizing Your Kid’s Toys

Both of our kids have fall birthdays and each birthday means new TOYS! This delights our kids to no end…and if I am honest, it makes this stay-at-home mom happy, too, because it means new toys to enjoy with the kiddos.

All the new birthday toys have prompted us to clean out our playroom and “toy stash,” and it’s coming at a perfect time since the holidays are right around the corner. It seems like such an overwhelming task to accomplish, but with these tips below, I think it will go smoothly this year!

- Use clear bins to house similar toys. Cars go with cars, dolls go with dolls, etc. This will make finding toys and cleaning them up much easier.

- Avoid duplicate toys. Children do not need two stacking rings or two musical keyboards. Consider donating duplicate toys to goodwill. This will help you declutter your toy areas

- Always put toy bins at eye-level and within reach of the kids. This way, they can find the toys they are looking for easily, and they can also put the bins away when they are done playing. This will teach your children the importance of cleaning up after themselves.

- Consider using photo or pictures to label bins when your kids are younger. Pictures will help small children know where to put certain toys when it is time to clean up. When your kids are older and can read, use labels with words to mark your bins. This will help them to learn how to spell new words while keeping your play areas tidy.

- When organizing your toys, think about what your kids play with the most often. Put those toys out in your play areas and when you sense your child is tiring of them, put them back in a closet or in storage and bring out different toys. Rotating your toys will make old toys feel new again.

- Consider donating the toys not used very often to charity or goodwill. This is an excellent way to instill the spirit of giving to your children.

Good luck cleaning out your toys this year. Here’s to staying organized the rest of the year and into 2011! I'm off to a good start...I just put all my daughter's Barbie gear in clear bins with labels. It's funny how the small things in life can make you feel accomplished!