Top 10 Tips: Organizing the Playroom

My son Cameron loves his LEGOs, Hot Wheel cars and other assorted toys. But all this stuff can add up! So I had to find a solution to keep the playroom neat and tidy.

Tip 1: Clean out the old toys first

It was amazing the amount of baby toys and other toys he didn’t care about that had piled up. And those kid’s meal toys were all over the place. So I got 2 boxes, 1 for saving special toys and the other for donating. I also collected broken toys and threw those away.

Tip 2: Make donating fun

We bring donations out to Goodwill every few months and toys almost always go too. I ask Cam ahead of time what he doesn’t want to play with anymore and maybe another child would like to have it. We only donate gently-used toys and board games.

Tip 3: Art supplies everywhere!

Cam has a lot of art supplies and I organized them by using those plastic shoeboxes. Target puts them on clearance, especially after back to school time. Each type of school supply got its own box ie. crayons, markers, glue/tape, etc. This made it easy for Cam to find what type of school supply he needed for school projects

Tip 4: Putting stuff away.

This is one area I have to continue to work with him on. Especially when his friends come over to visit, I make sure they all pitch in and put toys away before they leave.

Tip 5: Invest in an organization system

I currently use a 9 shelf cubby hole shelving unit, that I got at Target and added in fabric bins, found on clearance. This keeps the mess to a minimum and off the floor.

Tip 6: Memory boxes

I used to do scrapbooking but once by son was born, I found it easier to collect mementos and keepsakes in memory boxes. I have one from when he was a baby and one from his grade school years. So instead of items like his homemade hat from the Thanksgiving play getting lost in his playroom, I make sure to put it away.

Tip 7: Show off collections

Cam loves to collect toys. Whether they are LEGOs, or Hot Wheels, he loves to display his favorite toys too. I invested in a few bookcases, so he could display which toys and LEGO creations he wanted to show off.

Tip 8: Off the floor

Another way to maximize space in a playroom is to move items up and off the floor, by installing floating shelves.

Tip 9: Rotating toys

Especially when Cam was younger, he would get bored playing with same toys. So I would gather up the toys he was tired of and store them in the basement and rotate in new toys.

Tip 10: Buy less

This is probably the easiest tip! When I stopped buying Cam so many LEGOs, he started to appreciate what he had more. He also doesn’t ask for toys as often and everyone is a lot happier! Teaching him to appreciate what he has, is the best lesson he could learn!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.