Organize + Energize: 6 Tips to Organize Kid’s Toys Before the Holidays!
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
The holidays will be here soon and it’s time to take inventory of your kid’s toys, games, and books. Make a plan to organize what they have before you run off to the store and purchase gifts for the holidays.
Here are 6 tips to get you started in the process.
Get your kids involved. Let them help in this process. I find that it’s much easier for kids to let go of things than it is for the parents. If the kids want to let it go, then let it go. If you want to hold onto it for the memories, create a memorabilia bin and store it there. Don’t keep it with their active toys. If you are keeping items for your own purposes, really think about why you are keeping them.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTake inventory. Focus on one room at a time, one category at a time. Focusing on one category will allow you to limit distractions and stay focused, which will make this a quick process.
Declutter. If it’s broken, get rid of it. You may have high expectations of fixing it, but be realistic. Are you really going to fix it? If pieces are missing and the game can’t be played without them, get rid of it.
Organize. Talk to your kids about how they want to function going forward. Your kids are going to be using this system and maintaining it, so let them create the system. The simpler the system, the easier it will be to maintain. If each child uses certain games, create a space for them so that when they want a toy, they can go to their section.
Organizing supplies. There are great organizing supplies out there for all types of spaces. Choose the products based on what you have to hold and measure the space to maximize. Choose a solution that has a purpose and one that works for what you are holding. Don’t buy it because it’s pretty.
Maintain. Put the responsibility on your kids to put things back once they are finished using them. Talk to your kids about the system and tell them it’s going to be easier to put things away in the moment than spending half a day straightening a room. Have them work with the system and tweak what’s not working. You’ll never have to tell your child to clean up the playroom again if there are working, functional systems in place.
Most people will say that a playroom can never be organized. I’m here to tell you that you can have an organized playroom. You have to create working organized systems in the playroom and every item has to have a designated space. If there aren’t designated spots or systems, chaos will ensue. It also takes work to get your kids in the habit of picking toys up once they are finished with them. The hard work will pay off in the end. The routines they create will form habits and from there it will become an everyday way of life.
You have to approach toys, games, etc., just as you would any other organizing project. Schedule the project on your calendar, have a plan, break the process down, limit your distractions and stay focused and you’ll have your project completed in record time! Tackle this project before the holidays and you’ll be refreshed and ready for the influx of gifts this holiday season.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.
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