Help your child manage toy clutter by organizing.
The clutter of kids' toys can drive a parent crazy and make anyone's child-free house look like an immaculate model home. While you might not be completely free of toy chaos during your child-rearing years, there are ways to tame it into a manageable melange. Providing organization for your child's toys will pay dividends in tidiness and sanity. Don't forget, too, that little ones watch and learn--your efforts will not go unnoticed. Cynthia Ewer, author of "Live Clean, Green and Organized at Home" urges bringing your children into the process to teach them lifelong organizational skills.
Closets
A low shelf in the closet can provide easy storage and access.
Depending on the size of your child's closet, you may be able to add some do-it-yourself shelves or racks along the back wall of the closet, beneath the clothes. Converting this previously unusable space into toy storage will provide a place to stack puzzles, board games and construction paper. Coloring books, crayon boxes, dolls, play tools, toy cars and trucks, and musical toys can all find a home in the closet.
Baskets and Bins
Keep the kids' art supplies together in one bin.
Small baskets and bins either stacked or on a rack, can hold all sorts of odds and ends, from plastic keys and rattles to Play-Doh and paints. Bins can keep Pokemon cards, Old Maid cards and flash cards nicely contained. Baskets and bins are also great for action figures, fast-food plastic toys, electronic handheld games and boxes of sidewalk chalk.
Tubs
Larger toys can be tossed into tubs for easy clean-up.
Small tubs with secure lids are perfect for Legos, K'nex, Tinker Toys or any of the other wonderful building toys with a million small pieces. Large plastic storage tubs can hold bigger toys, like a toddler's large Mega Bloks or several of stuffed animals. Put a couple tubs in the garage, along the wall, to hold basketballs, soccer balls, roller blades, light sabers and Frisbees.
Containers
Store toy cars in popcorn tins or plastic coffee cans.
Smaller containers from around the house are another great organizing tool. Oatmeal canisters can hold alphabet blocks or Matchbox cars. Shoe boxes are perfect for Barbies and make an excellent place to store markers, crayons or colored pencils. Use plastic zip-up bags to hold puzzle pieces that no longer have a box, stickers or small game cartridges.
Shelves
A place to put things away is key to organizing.
A bookshelf can keep books organized and off the floor. Get one with shelves that can be adjusted to fit board books or Dr. Seuss, The Magic Tree House or Harry Potter. A bookshelf can also accommodate a music system, CDs and an alarm clock. Wall shelves are perfect for older kids to display their toys: perhaps a doll collection, Lego creations, models or other art work.
Tags: your child
