6 Tips to Bring Peace to the Playroom
| Has your playroom gone from wheels on the bus to the struggle bus? You’re not alone! Now that the holidays are behind us, we’re getting lots of requests for help with organizing play areas. We’re finding that families are simply overwhelmed with gifted toys, games, books, and craft kits. So how can you keep your kids entertained without feeling like your home looks like an explosion of toys? Here are six tips to help you reclaim your play space! Tip #1: Pull everything out In order to effectively deal with your kids’ items, you’ve got to see them! Take everything out of boxes and bins and spread it out all over the room. Sort toys, puzzles, games and crafts into categories and put like items together. Tip #2: Keep, toss, donate or rotate The idea of going through your toys to decide whether to keep, sell, toss or donate is nothing new. But for a playroom, we definitely suggest another option…rotate! First, select toys that are still relevant to your kids but just aren’t getting much attention. Put them out of sight in storage bins, and every 3 months or so, swap them out for playroom toys that have grown stale. The previously stored toys will feel new and exciting again, and the rotation system will help kids feel a sense of calm since they have fewer choices about what to play with. Tip #3: Purchase a storage system Once you’ve decided what to keep, toss, donate or rotate, it’s time to shop! It’s important to invest in your toy storage. We love Target cube organizers that come in five different finishes and multiple sizes. They are stylish, functional and affordable! Complete the functionality by purchasing fabric bins and bin clips from Amazon. Tip #4: Store toys strategically Now that you’ve got something to put toys in, spend some time thinking about which items you want within your kids’ reach—and which items you don’t. Strategically place puzzles, games, and other toys with lots of tiny pieces out of reach of little ones so that they are only accessible with the help of an adult. The toys that are easiest to clean up? Make them the easiest to get to! Tip #5: Set boundaries for clean up and play Choose a few simple, easy to follow rules that your kids must abide by to play in the toy room. You might set a boundary that the kids have to ask permission to get out crafts or puzzles. Maybe they can only take out one bin of toys at a time, and have to clean that one up before pulling out another. Whatever rules you put in place, stick to them and help your kids see the value in keeping their spaces tidy. Tip #6: Declutter/rotate every 3 months One of the most important things you can do to keep your playroom organized is to declutter frequently. As your kids age, their interests change. At a minimum, re-evaluate the toys and crafts available for play every three months. Pass along outgrown toys to friends and family, sell things online, or create a bin of toys to take to Grandma’s house. Keep up with your toy rotation as well. Finally, do a good edit before birthdays and holidays when you know lots of new things will be coming in. If after the holidays you’ve found yourself on the toy struggle bus and can’t seem to find the time to follow the tips to get off, call us! We’ll send a team to create a perfect play space in as little as a day! |
