Tips on how to organise the toys in your home!

If having your family at home all day, every day has made your space feel chaotic, and your days and nights seem to run together, regain a sense of order with these simple tips.

Reduce the clutter

It doesn’t matter how organised you are — an abundance of toys will always ensure your house is resembling a toy store after being ransacked by toddlers . Fortunately, getting kids on board with the idea of ditching their stuff is a lot easier than it sounds.

The trick is to make it an opportunity for them to tell you what they want and what they don’t want. Encourage kids to make a pile of ”baby toys” to donate, and have them set aside any toys that they don’t want anymore, such as action figures from a forgotten TV show. Separating these toys will help them appreciate how much they’ve grown and rediscover the toys they love.

Choose toys wisely

Since you’ll probably be stuck with them for a while, it pays to be picky when it comes to buying toys. To make toys more meaningful and exciting to your little ones, only buy them for birthdays, special occasions and rewards — don’t shy away from asking relatives (especially the grandparents!) and friends to do the same.

Avoid toys that are easily broken or that become ‘flavour of the hour’ and for the rest of its life, lay at the bottom of the toy box. The best toys are versatile, encourage creativity and can easily be expanded upon, such as Legos, wooden train tracks and dollhouse sets.

Leave some toys out of reach

If you’re constantly finding play dough and puzzle pieces in the sofa cushions, it’s time to put them on the top shelf of the cupboard. Designating these messy toys as ”special toys” will give them the idea that those toys are exciting and special and allows you to dodge scrubbing pen marks off the walls.

Also, try to set aside a tote of toys, games and puzzles for rainy days. This ensures you’ll always have a trick up your sleeve for sick days.

Give every toy a home

Without a simple organizational system, picking up can be a major headache. Don’t throw everything into one big toy box; there’s a better way.

Buy a series of matching plastic bins and line them up along the wall where your child can easily put away and retrieve toys on his own. Designate one box for Legos, one for stuffed animals, one for train tracks … you get the idea.

Use stacking plastic boxes for smaller toys like matchbox cars and dolls. Organize them further by storing puzzle pieces, doll clothes and other annoyances in Ziploc bags. This way your littles don’t have to empty the full toy chest to find that one toy they want to play with.

Hit the books

It’s not your imagination. That pile of storybooks by the couch really is getting taller, and if you wait much longer, it will likely turn into a giant heap.

A small shelf in the kids bedroom which is high up is the best place for books. It saves special books from getting damaged being dragged along the floor or drawn in and looks much better than being rammed in a box or ending up stored on the tv cabinet!