Toy Organization Tips & Tricks

Do you have mountains of toys at your house? I often feel like my kids have more toys than they can possibly play with. Birthdays, garage sales, holidays, and spontaneous purchases all add up to create a mountain of toys. Here are my top ideas for streamlining your playroom and organizing your kids’ toys.

Only Collect High Quality Toys

My kids often bring home free things. We keep the free things for a few days, enjoy them and then toss them. Only high quality toys receive a long term spot in the play room. We also like to expand on collections so that new toys have additional value because they add to a set we already have. Playmobil, Little Kingdom play sets, American Girl outfits and accessories, Littlest Pet Shop characters and Barbie outfits all contribute to toy collections that we already have. My girls love finding a new princess doll for their Little Kingdom collection or receiving a new American Girl doll outfit. Collecting high quality toys also allows you to sell them later or keep them for the next generation.

Toys like these adorable Disney’s Little Kingdom play sets would be very hard to keep track of and the tiny pieces would easily get lost if we didn’t keep them organized together in a box with a lid.

Organize Toys into Themed Bins

We mainly organize toys by keeping toy collections in individual bins. The kids can get out one bin at a time and they must put it away before they can open a new bin. Storage bins organize toys into collections and minimize the toy clutter on the floor. No one likes playing in a huge mess of random toys.

Store Toys Out of Sight

Storage cubes are amazing for quickly cleaning up a playroom or bedroom. You can organize similar toys in each cube and even hide away shoes, accessories, and stuffed animals. This storage cube shelf was very easy to put together and hides a good amount of toys in just 4 collapsible cubes. We have different sizes of these storage cube shelves in almost every closet, one in the living room, and one in several bedrooms. The cube bins are easy for kids to pull down and put away as they practice cleaning up after playtime!

This storage cube shelf came in a box with the sides and shelves neatly arranged. I just had to pull them out, insert the pins and connect all the pieces together. Assembling this storage cube shelf was very easy to accomplish using just a screwdriver.

I love the look of these shelves and the ability to easily put away all sorts of toys in just minutes. I like keeping some toys for the kids in the living room and these storage cubes allow the kids to easily clean up by themselves.

A toy storage trunk also hides a lot of toys and it’s a cute decorative accent in a room. My girls’ mermaid storage trunk allows us to clean up the floor of their bedroom in minutes!

Related Post: Kids’ Mermaid Bedroom Redesign »

Regularly Donate Unused Toys or Have a Garage Sale

If you enjoy having a garage sale, routinely collect unused toys in a bin so you can easily sell them at your next garage sale. Garage sales are fun opportunities for kids to learn how to sell unwanted things so they can buy new things. My kids are just learning about buying and selling, but my 4-year-old knows if she chooses to give unwanted things to someone else, she can replace the old with 1 or 2 new things. If garage sales aren’t for you, regularly give gently used toys to a local charity or donate them to a thrift store. Purging old toys each year (especially after the holidays) will make your home feel much more organized.

My kids even love playing “garage sale” in our front yard!

Save Up for Special Toys Rather than Impulse Buy

Even if you can buy your kids the toys they want when they want, teach them healthy expectations by setting goals for receiving a new toy, or encouraging them to wait for their birthday. I let my girls pick out a new doll after they have completed their chores chart (which takes about 2 weeks) or give them a small prize for completing their potty chart. On shopping trips when I do allow them to buy something, I notice they ask for new things in almost every section of the store. In this case I allow them to pick out 1 or 2 things total. I may have the ability to spoil my girls but doing so is not teaching my kids healthy habits for life. If my girls want a bigger toy, I tell them I will keep their request in mind for their birthday. Kids value their toys much more if they have to work for them or wait to receive them.

My girls love playing with favorite toys, which eliminates the need for lots of toys. Box up half your toy clutter and watch your kids play; they will have much more fun playing with the favorite toys they have left. This fun Splash Surprise Ariel doll transforms from mermaid to girl with a removable tail and extra outfit. She’s perfect for summer water play and bath time! My girls love playing with her in our kiddy pool and swimming her around the yard, and then dressing her up in her pink gown. We received this interactive doll from Hasbro just in time for my daughter’s birthday!

Collectible Interactive Summer Toys

Looking for fun gift ideas for summer? These Disney Little Kingdom play sets feature adorable details and high quality collectible figures and accessories!

Disney Frozen Little Kingdom Toddler Friends Pack includes favorite characters from Disney’s Frozen re-imagined as toddlers! Kids can act out new storylines with Elsa, Anna, Kritoff, Olaf, and Sven as if they met when they were young.

Other Little Kingdom play sets feature favorite Disney princesses re-imagined in these adorable themed collections. We had the opportunity to review Elsa’s Arendelle Treat Shoppe and Belle’s Enchanted Dining Room Set, each complete with accessories, snap-in accents, and customizable dolls. The detailing on these Disney princess sets is beautiful with so many colors and textures.

Elsa’s Arendelle Treat Shoppe comes with a cute shoppe, 3-inch Elsa doll, snowball and a snowflake “snap-ins” and double-stacked ice balls with 4 ice cream cones. I was delighted to find that each item is great quality, even the bendable accessories and detailing. The roof of the shoppe has so many details alone; a peaked gable, flower-accented windows, shingles, and even a glittery plume of smoke! Olaf waves from the front door.

Belle’s Little Kingdom Dining Room set is equally as fun, with rosebuds and glittery transparent detailing. Shaped as the teapot “Mrs. Potts”, the dining room set has a pink and gold cushioned chair and white and purple rose-embellished dining room table. The set also comes with a 3-inch Belle doll, Chip the teacup, and Lumiere the candelabra. I also love the dealing on this set, inspiring girly imaginative play!

Kids have so many opportunities to acquire new toys and it’s great to keep playtime fun and organized. My kids can play for hours when they have a streamlined spot to play. I hope these tips help you organize your family’s toys too!

Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!