Taming the Toys: Organizing my Preschooler’s Room

Does this scenario seem familiar: your child is supposed to be playing in their room, but when you walk by, you find that every basket, bin, and toy box has been dumped uncerimoniously in a big ole pile?

That certainly happens at our house. Especially after his birthday, Miles’ room was feeling crowded and unorganized.  His playtime in there was consisting mostly of making huge messes and then complaints of boredom.

I knew with Christmas on the horizon, we had to get his room cleaned out and better organized so he could enjoy playing in there again.

The photo above was actually taken after I’d started the process, but you get the general idea.  The next picture shows a shelf and basket in the corner. I had a few plastic tubs on the shelf, but they weren’t labeled and the basket was just a free-for-all for any random toy.

His bookshelf was overcrowded, hiding lots of little board books and made choosing interesting books difficult.

My plan of attack was this:

1) Sort toys- unused toys go to charity, broken toys hit the garbage can, and all the good stuff gets organized into like groups.

2)Containers- I found some cheap plastic bins to hold his little toys and games. I also bought two larger bins to hold his train set and dress up clothes.

3)Label- I took pictures of the contents of each container and then added the words with a photo editing software. I taped a picture label to the bin and also to the lid.

So here are a few after shots. {Please note: we live in a rental right now. I know this room isn’t taking home any awards for decor.}

We cleared away a LOT of clutter in his room.  I moved the bookshelf and the nightstand.

I completely removed the woven catch-all basket, giving him more room to play on the floor.

I cleaned out his bookshelf too, so that there were far fewer choices (the extras I stashed in his nightstand drawers in the background). I plan to rotate them out so he can discover “new” books.

The shelf unit got an overhaul too. I added the corkboard on top to display his artwork and family pictures. I moved his Memory Keeper in here as well to remind us to put his special papers and treasures in there.

Here’s a closer look at the box labels.  I did these really quickly in Picasa and had them printed at Walgreens.  Then I simply attached them with packing tape.

I already mentioned that I hid extra books in his nightstand drawers, but I also added his favorite board books in a little basket on top.

In his closet, we stored his dress up clothes in the big bin on the floor, and extra toys and games to rotate to the shelves in the smaller bins.

I’m really pleased with how much cleaner and more organized it is in here!

A few tips if you decide to try something similar in your child’s room:

- Try to include your child in the process. I did have my 3 year old pitch in with sorting toys, but quickly discovered he wasn’t willing to part with anything. Even broken and unused toys.  You’ll have to decide how much your child is able to help.

- If you’re having trouble letting go of things, give yourself a limit. For example, I decided to only keep the stuffed animals that would fit in the green tub on his dresser. If they didn’t fit, they didn’t stay.

Also, in case you’re thinking, but what about all that train stuff that’s still on the floor??  I hear you, but we hate to put away an elaborate track and rebuild everyday. However, I found some inspiration on Pinterest (of course) and my father-in-law has something in the works to take care of that little problem.  I’ll be sure to show you when it’s done!

I hope this helps if you’re thinking about organizing your kid’s toys before the Holidays. I’d love to hear your organizing tips, too!