With summer in full swing and kids home full time, it’s time to start thinking about de-cluttering the toy room. It seems like kids collect so many toys throughout the year that you may find yourself wondering where they all came from. And oh my gosh the dust.
Before you start cleaning and de-cluttering, talk to your child about getting rid of some of his things. Explain that getting rid of old, outgrown toys will make room for new, more age-appropriate ones. Many kids are willing to let go of some of their toys when they know they will eventually get something else they really want.
It also helps them to let go when they know the toys will be given to some other child who will love and play with them as much as they did. Now it’s time to tackle the mess so you can clean and organize that toy room.
Separate the Toys
When decluttering the toy room, you’ll need to separate all the toys. Dump everything out in the middle of the room and start going through the pile one toy at a time. It may seem like a never-ending pile of toys but you will reach the bottom soon.
As you go through everything, separate them into the following stacks:
- Trash – Have a trash bag handy so you can throw away anything you find that is old, worn out or broken.
- Special Toys – Every child has his or her special toys they play with all time. Be sure to keep these all together so they don’t get mixed up with the other toys.
- Toys Your Child Has Outgrown– If your child has outgrown a toy or he doesn’t really want it, there is no need to keep it around anymore.
- Toys Your Child Plays with Sometimes – If your child still plays with certain toys sometimes, keep them around for now. They need a variety of toys to keep them stimulated and you can always get rid of them later.
- Papers – Separate all the papers from the toys and put them in one big pile. Before heading to the trash with them, sort through and pick out your child’s favorite drawings to keep.
- The “I don’t know” Pile – You will run across items that you’re just not sure what to do with and all of these should go in a stack of their own.
Cleaning Supplies for the Kids
I grabbed the cutest small broom and dustpan for my kids so they can continue to really keep their playroom clean. And I’ve got my eye on my own secret weapon: The LG HOM-BOT Square—a little robotic vaccum that not only does all the dirty work, it can see where it’s going so no more favorite toys will get swept up accidentally by my haste to get the chore done. Not to mention, my kids would be obsessed with the little square (better for getting closer to corners and edges) robot friend. By having a vacuum and cleaning supplies ready they love to use, the playroom always stays clean. Perhaps they’ll get inspired to clean their own rooms with this little guy. One can dream right?
Now that you have separated everything that is old, broken, outgrown or not played with, it’s time to organize what is left.
Organize the Toys
Everything in the toy room should have a home. Use a combination of baskets, bins and drawers to separate the toys into categories, so you can keep everything organized. For example, you’ll need a special bin for crayons, pencils and paper, one for those building blocks, one for toy cars, etc. Label everything to make it easy for your kids to know where the toys go when cleaning up and it will help keep things organized.
When you get to the “I don’t know” stack, pack everything up in a box and label it for storage. If your child hasn’t missed them within three months, it would be safe to say you can get rid of them for good.
Have a Rewards System
After all of the hard work and time you just invested in de-cluttering the toy room, you want to keep it looking nice. Make a daily checklist for your child to follow that encourages him to put the toys back where they belong and reward him for following the checklist. For example, each day the child puts away his toys, give him a sticker. Give a special sticker or an extra one when everything is put in the right place. When he gets a certain number of stickers, give him a prize.
De-cluttering the toy room is a lot of work but it’s very rewarding, too. You’ll have more room for the toys your kids actually play with and they’ll be able to find what they want, when they want it. De-cluttering also teaches your child the importance of letting go of things that no longer have a purpose.
While you are creating your to-do list for de-clutter make sure you click the link here to check out the LG HOM-BOT Square.
