Toy Organization: An Essentials Step For Stress-Free Holidays With Kids
The holidays are quickly approaching, and before we know it, it will be Christmas morning! If you have young children, you know what this means – an early wakeup followed by a chaotic morning filled with excitement and wonder, as the children discover what has been left for them under the tree!
It is a wonderful feeling to watch our children’s eyes sparkle, and their faces light up with joy as they open their gifts. But once the gift bags and wrapping paper have been cleaned up, and the initial excitement wears off, as parents, we are confronted with the realization that we now need to figure out where to store all these new items.
Don’t fret – before despair and overwhelm kick in, keep reading – we’ve gathered some tips to help you organize the toys before Christmas!
Declutter and Donate
In preparation for the holidays, it’s a great idea to declutter the toys they currently have with your children. Not only will you be helping develop life-long skills, but they will also learn the joy of giving.
Go through all of your children’s toys and decide together whether each toy is something they cherish and play with often or something they’d be willing to part with. It is a great time of year to consider donating toys, as it will help bring joy to others.
Making sure your children are involved will empower them to make decisions and help them understand the importance of organizing, and also of giving back to our community.
Check out this blog post from vancouvermom.ca for places to donate gently used toys and clothes in Vancouver.
You can also post on Facebook Groups in your area (mom’s groups, for example). Often teachers, preschools and daycares will be happy to take gently used toys, books, or games.
Decide on a Storage Solution
Storing like items together ensures easy access when it’s time to decorate. If you don’t have an organized, dedicated storage area, check out our article on creating an organized garage or storage space.
If you already have an organized garage or storage space, start by bringing all decoration bins down to an area where they’re easier to reach Swap holiday bins with summer activities/sports bins to make taking down storing your decorations a breeze after the holidays.
Every home and every family is unique, so finding a kid-friendly storage solution that works for your family is not a one-size-fits-all.
When deciding on the best storage solution for your children’s toys, consider the following:
- Size of storage space – do you have a playroom, a corner in the children’s bedroom, or a small closet?
- Size and types of toys – dolls and large toys, for example, will require a different storage solution than Lego, building blocks or Matchbox cars.
- Think forward – if you’re investing in a storage unit, consider how it can be used as your children grow and their toys and interests change.
- Research – talk to other parents, post questions on parenting groups, or browse Pinterest or websites for creative storage ideas. IKEA has many brilliant storage solutions and an entire section on its website dedicated to storage and organization for children.
Create Fun Labels
Dedicated bins or baskets for your children’s toys make clean-up time easier. Knowing exactly where something goes will take the overwhelm out of tidying up.
If your children aren’t yet reading, put a picture of the items (Lego, blocks, cars, figurines, animals, etc) along with the word on the label.
Make Toy Organization Fun!
What’s the best way to teach your children how to be organized? Make it fun! Turn tidying up from a chore to a fun toy organization game for kids!
Have a race: Who doesn’t love a little healthy competition? If asking your child to pick up their toys isn’t working, sometimes simply saying, “On your mark, get set, go!” is all you need! Most children will start whatever task is assigned to them when they know they’re racing against the clock, a sibling, or mom and dad!
Sing Songs: Ever wonder how preschool and early elementary school teachers have the entire class clean up and stay organized? They often sing songs or have a classroom mantra. These songs and mantras help children remain focused on the task and make clean-up time fun!
Keep it short: If you have a lot of toys to declutter or tidy up, keeping toy organization sessions short is imperative. To prevent your children (and yourself) from becoming overwhelmed, break your organizing into smaller, more manageable chunks, and set a timer.
Create a routine: Children thrive on routine, and dedicating even 5 minutes a day to ensuring their room or playroom is tidy will help them stay on top of it, and create good habits!
Having dedicated storage and organization solutions for children’s toys will make the chaos of the holidays easier and less stressful for everyone.
If you need help organizing your children’s toys and don’t know where to start, contact us today!
We offer free phone or video call consultations or a 30-minute in-person consultation for $50+tax.
You can also send us videos of the areas you need help with via WhatsApp at 604-446-3939, and we would be happy to provide you with an estimate.
