Let me start off my stating my playroom usually BECOMES a disaster zone. Evidence, that my kids are exploring so you’ve got to let go and let it happen.
Even though the room does becomes a wreck – I’m VERY BIG on cleaning up after we play. In my opinion, teaching these skills early on is so important. It lets the child know they need to respect their home and toys, and also establishes those important life long organization/cleaning skills.
I try to monitor with the rule “put it back once your done” – however, this can be hard to apply with very little ones. Younger children go from one thing to the next so quickly, so this rule works best for children who are older with a longer attention span.
Teacher, Teacher
I treat my playroom space like a classroom. (teacher background – I can’t help it! LOL). When I introduce a new toy or an object with a lot of pieces, I MODEL FIRST: how to locate its storage spot, clean it up, and then putting it away. This sets the expectation level for your kids so there should be no room for confusion when you say, “Okay, time to clean up!” (If you want, take it a step further and model how to play with the item this can be very helpful! Say it’s something a little above their age level or very messy.. setting this expectation guides the child not to misuse or ruin the item/activity.
How to Organize
Organization can be done in so many different ways – it depends on your space and style. These are some tools that work for us in our home.
PURGE AND ROTATE
Step One – PURGE YOUR TOYS! Keep what your child plays with often, and donate what they don’t. If you think they will play with them again someday…store them in the attic/closet and rotate them every six weeks or so. (you decide what time frame works for you) This allows your child to be refreshed with new stuff – without it even being “new!”
ALL THE SMALL THINGS
Lego’s, magnatiles, cars, building cubes.. the list goes on – they can take over your playroom – FAST! Plastic shoe boxes with lids THAT CLASP are a great way to store all those tiny pieces. The size of your box may vary depending on your collection size. However, make sure you find a container with a clasp!! I’m thinking of a child picking it up by the lid – the box is heavy, the lid separates from the box, and crash! Imagine all those tiny pieces flying everywhere when the box drops to the floor! YIKES- no thank you! LOL
We personally have a smaller collection of Lego’s, so I don’t need to use a bulky box – yet. I store ours in a zip bag an old set of blocks came in. It works perfectly because there is even a handle attached for my daughter to carry it around the house. I like using a bag because it fits easily inside of our toy baskets and saves shelf space. If you don’t have a bag like ours, a delicate mesh wash bag that zips works perfectly too!
Crayon, Marker, Chalk, and Color Pencil Storage
I actually got this smart storage idea from my sister-in-law, Summer. I love these containers for coloring storage. The containers we use are acrylic, so they won’t break easily like glass. I also love that they snap securely when closed. Before, I was so annoyed how easily the coloring boxes would break. I would pick them up after coloring was done and they would slide right out the bottom of the box. Of course you can always tape the bottom shut, but it seemed to not last us a while either. This container was the perfect fix for our ongoing issue.
Extend the use
These containers can be filled with more things besides coloring tools. Think manipulative counting objects, buttons for crafts, rocks, etc.
Shop storage options here
Puzzles
Puzzles and I have a love hate relationship. My daughter is obsessed with all puzzles but refuses to clean them up. I know she’s proud, but come on girl… your mama loves a CLEAN HOUSE! LOL Her beloved floor puzzles are the easy ones to store because they come in a box. Unfortunately, our super cute wood board puzzles don’t. I finally invested in a puzzle rack and as much as I hate the way it looks – it’s the BEST THING EVER! I’ll link it here for you incase you’re interested in organizing your puzzles too!
Play Kitchen
Our play kitchen was a gift from Santa last year and it has been well-loved! Our play food though is another story. All the little food pieces DRIVE ME NUTS! LOL I feel like I’m always picking up pretend food! On the other hand, I DO LOVE the quality and design of the pretend food we have. (I think no matter what pretend food you purchase – the cleaning will always be annoying to you!)
Before purchasing I did some research, and after asking around to my sister-in-laws they both recommended this brand below. The food is great quality, safe, and comes in BASKETS that fit perfectly inside the fridge/cabinets of our play kitchen! (YES, mom win!)
Shop our playroom favorites here
Arts and Crafts
If you haven’t checked out @busytoddler instagram- YOU NEED TO! Her page is full of great inspo to keep your little ones busy at home! There are some things I pull from my teaching background, but if you don’t use it you lose it, and my mom brain needs some reminders now and again. LOL
Moving on.. her page inspired me to create a craft/manipulative storage center! I keep all my tools/odds in ends in these drawers. (any rolling cart could work as well).
I love having these items stored and ready to go! I find that most people want to have sensory table fun with their little ones, but don’t follow through due to lack of materials on hand. I keep so many random items in my drawers that I think we might use: popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, glue, empty paper towel/toilet paper rolls, muffin tins, ice-cube trays, water beads, bags of rice, and tongs. The list goes on and on. The best part is a lot of these items are already in your home and don’t cost much money! By storing them together it helps you feel confident that you have the materials “prepared” and ready for fun.
If you would like a full detailed list of materials I keep on hand – let me know in the comments. I’ll consider writing a more detailed post if there is interest.
shop storage bin options below
Extended Thinking
Now, if you REALLY want to get super organized. You can always provide labels for your toy bins. I keep mine basic with “toys/books” because I know our bins content will change as my children grow.
If you would like to be more detailed you can:
- take picture of your toys
- paste the images into word,
- type under the image with in an easy-to-read font what the object is
- laminate (VERY important if you want it to last!)
- attach to bin/basket
I hope I covered all the troublesome playroom areas. If you have an item or space you need help with comment below and I’ll do my best to help you brainstorm!