When we moved into our new house, I knew that the toy room was going to have to be one of the first projects that I tackled. Since the toys had been in storage for a little while, the boys were eager to find all of their old favorites. And since school had just let out, I wanted them to be able to have a functional playroom to help keep them occupied over summer break. Organizing the toy room was top priority!
For more on this topic, check out the full Get Organized collection
I feel super lucky to be in our new house that allows for an entire space for a playroom. In our old house, we had to keep a lot of toys in storage in the basement. This certainly wasn’t a bad system. However, I was looking forward to having everything much more accessible! Not only just to get out and play with, but to also put away (hopefully).
As with all organization projects, organizing the toy room required multiple phases. Thankfully I was fortunate enough to have some amazing women in my life that were willing to help out, and turn a daunting pile of boxes into a cool playroom!
Be sure to also check out how Karissa organizes their playroom!
Phase 1 – Start organizing the toy room
Phase 1 of organizing the toy room was just trying to get all of the toy and game boxes from the pod to the playroom. One of my son’s friends was sweet enough to come over and help (along with his mom and brother) so that made the task go much more quickly! Unfortunately, the aftermath of that task and the boys playing with said toys looked like this…
Phase 2 – Clean out the toys by putting them in piles
While the boys didn’t seem to mind the chaos, it was driving me kind of nuts! Sooooo when my mom and my aunt offered to come help out, we made a good dent in things! I knew that Mara of More Space Organizing was going to come over to help out, but I wanted a better baseline for us to be able to work from (and if nothing else, wanted to be able to walk through that room).
Something that I’ve always had a knack for is making piles. It is a simple concept, but it helps to consolidate things so much! (Be sure to check out Karissa’s article – My Pile Strategy – as well!) Creating piles at least took us from the madness featured above to the less overwhelming situation here…
Pro Tip from Mara
Put all of the toys that aren’t played with in a bin or bag, out of site, and label it with a date. If your kids haven’t asked for anything from that container in a month then give the toys to some children who will use and love them!
Phase 3 – Organize the toys with fresh eyes
Even though you could see the floor again, Mara and I had our work cut out for us! I was so thankful to have her there helping out and would highly recommend looking into professional home organization services for your next project! While I actually enjoy organizing projects and feel like I do a pretty good job tackling those kinds of things, it is always helpful to have a second set of eyes (and hands) – especially when they are an actual professional 😉
Mara started the process of organizing the toy room by getting everything out in the open. Open boxes lined the entire room, and it was easy to see what was where. It is always tempting to dive right in and start sorting, but this step was a huge help in making the process more efficient!
Open the Boxes
I had some boxes that were pretty much sorted, and other boxes that were a total mix of random toys. But having them all lined up made it easy to group similar items together.
I found myself wanting to skip ahead and figure out where those toys would ultimately end up. However… it worked much better to sort everything, and then find homes that worked best for them! We also had a bunch of different bins, tubs, and boxes that could be used interchangeably so that when the vehicles box started overflowing, we had another larger one handy!
Mara also made sure that we had a trash bag conveniently located. I always try to use a large, black, heavy duty trash bag when cleaning out toys so that the boys can’t see through it before trash day arrives. I am always surprised at how much junk we manage to collect in short amounts of time. And even though I didn’t think I’d have much trash, I ended up almost filling the bag.
Pro Tip from Mara
Label. Even if it’s with a picture. Labeling is a great learning opportunity for your children!
Phase 4 – Strategy for putting toys away
Once the toys are all sorted by category, we get to do the rewarding part – put things away! Figuring out the best way to organize your kid’s toys is always a work in progress, but there are a few key things to think through…
- What do my kids play with the most? Make sure that these toys are easy to get out and easy to put away!
- Which things do my kids need help with? Make sure that these toys/games/crafts are up high and out of reach.
- How can I encourage play? See if you can create a fun setup to draw your kids in to fun, imaginative play.
- What will look nice? Having a giant tub of Power Ranger pieces isn’t exactly pleasing to the eye, but having the bookshelf filled with colorful games could work great!
Mara was super helpful in helping me think outside of my usual habits. In my brain, certain toys go in certain bins when we are organizing the toy room because that’s just always the way we’ve always done it. But she was able to look at things with fresh eyes and offer great toy organization ideas to freshen up the space and functionality.
Pro Tip from Mara
Keep the things that create the most mess up high so your children have to ask for permission before they play with them. This way you’ll know what’s out and how much time you need to allot for cleanup!
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- Building sets in the cabinet
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- Pretend kitchen set up
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- Sorted bins with the items that need supervision up top
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- Games and puzzles on the bookshelves
Phase 5 – The Finished Product… an organized playroom!
Finishing an organization project is always such a great feeling!!! I love knowing where everything is and seeing such a fresh, clean space (even if it’s only temporary). There are still a few things that I’d like to do like getting new, cohesive baskets from the dollar store and finding more of the boys’ artwork to hang up; but… I am so happy with how things came together!
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- Building sets in the cabinet
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- Dress Up stuff in the storage bench
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- Games and puzzles on the bookshelves
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- Kid artwork and current favorite toys
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- Pretend kitchen set up
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- Large boxes and other odds and ends
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- Sorted bins with the items that need supervision up top
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- Sorted bins with the items that need supervision up top
Organizing The Toy Room – Before and After
Disclaimer: The playroom does not currently look as pristine as it does in these photos, but that’s the point! I want the toy room to be something that gets played in. I don’t mind seeing toys all over the floor – as long as they are easy to put away when the time comes for that.
Special thanks to Mara of More Space Organizing!
Be sure to visit her site and follow her on Instagram for more information and inspiration.
For more on this topic, check out the full Get Organized collection
