If you’re overwhelmed by all the toys your kids own and tired of the constant clean up, it’s time to figure out how to organize toys and keep your sanity!
It can be daunting to really figure out how to organize toys and kid stuff so today I’m going to help! I will walk you through step by step of the organization process, give you storage ideas, and examples of toy organization for different rooms. You will finally be getting organized so you can stop yelling at your kids to clean up their mess!
Let’s begin learning how to organize toys!
Step-By-Step Process for Organizing Toys
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1. Declutter and Remove Toys You No Longer Need
Step one for organizing toys is to go through all the toys and edit them down. This is truly the hardest part but the most important!
Get rid of anything that is broken, missing pieces or hasn’t been played with in 3-6 months. You will likely need to declutter seasonally and after any bigger gift events (birthdays or Christmas).
If your kids are older, get them involved! If a birthday or Christmas is coming up it’s an easy way to let them know you need to make space for new things (this can be done before or after the event!). I’ll ask my kids to pick out a few toys that they don’t play with anymore. They can usually find at least a few things to donate without any arguing.
If your kids are younger, it can be best to choose things to get rid of when your kids are away. That way they won’t decide the stuffed animal they haven’t played with in a year all of sudden becomes their best friend!
If you’re not sure where to start, here’s one of my best tricks. Fill a box or bag with items you haven’t seen your child play with in a while and put it in a separate room. Write the date on the box. If a few months go by and they haven’t asked for them, then you know they won’t miss the toys if they get permanently donated!
2. Sort Toys Into Categories
Oftentimes giant messes can occur because your kids pull out all the toys they love and play with all at once and bounce from one toy to another toy without focusing on one thing.
Help them (and yourself!) out by putting away duplicates of toys. This will help them focus on what’s out and also create less of a mess since there’s fewer toys that they can actually take out!
Here’s an example. Say your kids have 15 puzzles and love them all so you don’t want to get rid of any. Great! But they don’t ever do 15 at the same time!
Keep a few puzzles out for your kids to play with and then put away the rest (in a closet, storage room, cupboard, etc). This keeps the puzzles that you do own fresh and interesting to your child and when they lose interest you can rotate them (more on that in step 4) with other ones!
Categories that you may consider include:
- Books
- Building toys (blocks, Legos, Duplos etc.)
- Board Games
- Stuffed animals
- Puzzles
- Arts and crafts
3. Give Every Toy a Designated Home
You want your kids to be able to find their toys but even more important, you want them to know where they should go when they’re done playing so they can easily put the toys away.
Once you have all your categories arranged and collected and know which ones will be staying out for your kids to play with, find a spot for them.
I have more ideas of toy storage below but the biggest rule of thumb is to make it easy for your kids to access and easy for them to put away. Stay away from things with hard-to-open lids and keep them in places where they can reach them. This helps kids be more independent and not have to rely on you for everything!
The one exception is for things that need adult supervision (like paints or scissors). Keep these in a spot where your kids can’t reach them or put them in a container that they can’t open. Then you won’t have an accidental paint spill on the carpet!
4. Rotate Toys to Reduce Clutter
I share this trick in my mom hacks post, but this is one of my favorite tricks in the mom handbook. As we mentioned above, you’ll want to put away some of your toys. You can also disperse your toys into different sections of your home.
You can have some toys in your child’s room, some in your main living area and some in a playroom or other room that your child likes to be in. This helps things to get back to their home when you have toy storage in multiple areas of your home.
Every couple weeks or months, or whenever your kids seem to be getting bored of the toys the see everyday, rotate them!
Pull out some of the toys that you had put away and put some that haven’t gotten much love lately into a cupboard or storage area.
Take the toys and books from your kids bedroom and put them in the living room (or wherever other toy storage is). Oftentimes all you need to do is put the toys in a different location for your kids to see them with fresh eyes again.
The one thing to make sure you do is keep the toy storage spots in the same places. For example, we have a basket of cars in our living room and a bucket of cars in our playroom. I’ll swap the cars from the 2 rooms but keep the basket and the location the same so my kids can find them and know where they go.
If you need to completely switch up your storage, make sure your kids know what belongs where so they can find their favorite toy and put it away when they’re done!
Toy Storage Ideas for an Organized Home
Now that all the toys in your house are decluttered, sorted, and you know where you want to keep them, we can move on to storage! the right storage solution makes it easier for you – and your kids – to keep toys organized and put away.
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Stuffed Animal Storage Ideas
Stuffed Animal Toy Hammock
This hammock is great for all your kids stuffed animals to keep them organized and not all over your entire house! This is great for your child’s room or play room. This type of organization can work well for the stuffed animals your child is not currently playing with.
Stuffed Animal Storage Bean Bag Chair Cover
Another fun idea for your stuffed animal toy storage is this bean bag chair cover. All you do is unzip it, put your stuffed animals inside and use it for both sitting and storage! Comes in lot of colors and prints.
- Bean bag cover (no filling)
- It is extra large at 38" and can hold up to 100 various size stuffed animals.
Storage for Puzzles and Small Toys
Mesh Zipper Bags
Use these bags for things like puzzles, stickers, doll accessories, etc! These bags help keep toys that have lots of small parts together. We love these for puzzles for our kids, as well as art supplies!
Puzzle Rack
Our kids’ preschool has these, and I’m convinced that if a preschool has them then they must be good! We love these for puzzles for our youngest since there’s no boxes with them. It also make them easy to get to!
- The Melissa & Doug Wire Puzzle Storage Rack is a strong and sturdy metal puzzle storage rack made to hold Melissa & Doug Peg Puzzles or other 8.5” x 11.5” x 0.5” puzzles.
- This metal puzzle storage rack has three-quarter-inch slots that hold up to 12 puzzles.
Storage for Building Toys and Blocks
Basket
Any type of large basket is a great option for larger toys! Bonus is you can get a cute one that matches your decor so it’s not an eyesore! Baskets make putting things away easy for toddlers and up. This type of storage works in any room in your home.
- Updated Version - extra-large cotton rope woven baskets - length 21.7x width 21.7x height 13.8 inches - 87 liters large woven basket capacity.
Magna-tiles Storage Bin
Nothing’s better than storage that doubles as a play space! This storage bin collapses into a play mat for your kids’ Magna-tiles!
- 12 x 1.5 x 11 inches
- Polypropylene bin with Polyester Lid
- Holds up to 300 Magnatiles
Storage Basket and Play Mat
Tired of picking up Legos or blocks? This will help contain the chaos! It’s a basket for all the toys with a connected play mat for easy cleaning!
Find tons of different Lego storage options.
- Creative QT Magic: Transform your playroom with the Creative QT SlideAway Toy Storage Organizer and watch clutter disappear. This organizer is perfect for kids' building bricks and small toys, making playtime cleanup a breeze with its drawstring magic.
- Roomy and Durable: The 12" tall, 15" diameter toy storage bin provides a sturdy home for up to 9 lbs of toys. Its durable nylon construction is built to withstand wild playtimes while seamlessly fitting into any home storage scheme.
Everyday Toy Storage Furniture
12 Bin Plastic Toy Storage Organizer
This toy storage bin makes your kids toys very accessible! Use it in a playroom or their bedroom to ensure everything has a home yet it’s easy to get at. Comes in 4 different color schemes to fit your decor. I love the versatility of this – it can fit a wide variety of toys. I love this for a kids room or a playroom.
- Plastic
- Removable toy storage bins for playtime and easy clean up.
- Sturdy engineered wood construction frame reinforced with steel dowels, 20 pound weight capacity per level.
- 12 durable plastic storage bins, 8 standard and 4 large interchangeable storage bins. BPA and phthalate free.
- Product sizing— Organizer: 34”W x 11”D (16”D with stabilizing braces) x 31”H, Standard Size Bins: 12”L x 9”W x 6”H, Large Size Bins: 16”L x 12”W x 6”H
Storage Ottoman
Another great trick to keeping the clutter away is to cover it! These ottomans are a great option for places like your living room. Your kids toys are close but you don’t have to look at them! Comes in multiple colors. This works for stuffed animals, blankets, dress up clothes, plush balls – anything soft.
Cube Organizer
Another easy way to keep your kids’ toys organized but out of sight is a cube organizer like this! This one comes with bins and also comes in different colors. The different size cubbies are great for storing a variety of items. You can also find storage ideas like this at IKEA.
Storage for Small Toy Pieces and Art Supplies
Clear Storage Bins with Handles and Latches
Bins like these are great for things that your kids like to take out and use in a different space of your home. For example, blocks that are best used on a hard wood floor or art supplies that need to be brought to the table. We also use bins like this for items our youngest shouldn’t have access to but our older kids can (since he can’t open them).
Small Bins
Same as above but these are great for smaller things! We love these for art supplies (crayons, markers, etc).
- Dimensions & Size: The storage boxes have outside dimensions of 14" x 11" x 3 1/4", making them ideal for smaller storage needs.
Toy Organization Ideas for Small Spaces
Small spaces can be organized too! The storage ottomans are some of my favorite items for small spaces. A classic toy box also provides both storage and a place to sit or build. I also love:
Under Bed Storage
The space under the bed is ideal space for storage! You can easily store blocks, barbies, magna tiles, and games in these types of containers.
90L Large Capacity : Each Underbed Storage Bags has 90 Liter or 24 Gallon load capacity, dimensions: 39 (L) x 20 (W) x 7 (H) inch, 7 inch height designed for most underbed space
Vertical Storage
Don’t forget about wall space! I love these types of taller storage solutions. My kids can still reach it, but it takes up a smaller footprint on the floor, which is perfect for a smaller space. This could be simple shelving to a bookcase!
I particularly like this storage container as you can use it for a wide variety of toys. This can grow with your child!
- This large-capacity toy storage organizer (45"x16"x12") features a sturdy iron frame and oxford fabric, durability for long-lasting use.
- Space-Saving Toy Shelf Design: Its vertical, 3-tier toy shelf structure saves floor space. Three separate toy bins provide excellent toy organization, making it a perfect kids storage organizer.
Toy Organization Ideas for Living Rooms
If you don’t have a playroom, don’t worry! Many families keep toys in their living room. I love using baskets with lids, storage ottomans, and cube shelving to hide toy clutter in living spaces. Devote a shelf or two of a bookshelf to kids items.
If you have a coffee table with any storage, think about using part of it for your child’s toys! I love this coffee table from amazon. It is incredibly affordable and provides so much storage!
Featuring 2-layer storage compartments, the coffee table includes sliding doors for concealed storage. Generous storage space accommodates remotes, toys, or magazines, keeping your living room organized and clutter-free.
Tips for Keeping Toys Organized Long-Term
Once you have everything organized, now you just have to try to keep it that way! Here are a few tips that will help you out.
- Rotate toys regularly. Your kids will actively play with their toys rather than dumping them out and moving on to something else, leaving a giant mess.
- Have kids clean up when they are done playing or before moving on to something else. For example, clean up toys before lunch, before naps, or before heading outside to play. Do a quick clean up before bed with some fun music.
- Teach kids where the toys belong – use labels with pictures, if needed! Try to not get frustrated when it takes many reminders for them to learn. They will eventually get it.
Final Thoughts
Decluttering and organizing toys is not a “one and done” job, unfortunately! Over time you will need to adjust storage systems based on your child’s changing interests and needs.
Try to get storage solutions that will work long term. For example, a toy storage basket that currently holds stuffed animals might eventually hold nerf guns or shin guards for soccer. The under the bed storage containers can eventually keep favorite toys that you don’t want to donate, but don’t want out on display.
Now you know how to organize toys and have lots of amazing toy storage tips. Want more help? Head here for more kids organization hacks.
I hope this helps!
Want more organization tips? Check out one of these!
Kitchen
- How to Organize Your Kitchen
- 7 Kitchen Pantry Organization Ideas
- Spice Storage Ideas
- 13 Kitchen Products to Get Organized
- 16 Genius Under the Sink Organizing Ideas
Closet
- How to Purge Clothes and Organize Them (Expert Tips!)
- 11 Places to Sell Your Clothes for Cash
- 6 Tips to Sell Your Clothes Online
- How to Organize Your Shoes
Bathroom + Linen Closet
- Bathroom Organization
- Organizing Your Hair Products
- How To Organize Your Makeup Drawer
- How To Organize Your Linen Closet
Living Room, Storage Room + Garage
Kids
- How to Organize Toys (& 12 Toy Storage Ideas)
- 7 Genius Ways to Organize Baby Clothes
- 25 Lego Organization Ideas
Misc
- Entryway Drop Zone Organization
- 14 Simple Secrets to Keeping a Clean House
- 7 Genius Home Organization Hacks
If you want to do a 30 day declutter challenge, get a free guide here!