Do you ever feel like your life is an endless loop of picking up toys, games, books and socks off the floor, just to turn around and do it again seemingly seconds later? You are not alone.
No one ever talks about how hard it is to find places to store toys. Playthings seem to be either small and numerous (like plastic bricks) or too big to fit in traditional bins.
The best way to store kids’ toys and to get them involved in the tidying process is to think outside the box!
Here are some of our favorite fun storage solutions for kids’ bedrooms that will get them excited about tidying up.
Basketball hoop into toy bin
What’s the most effective way to get your kids to clean up without complaining? Turn it into a game! Set up a child’s-sized basketball hoop above your kid’s laundry hamper or toy bin and let them “play the mess away.”
Basketball Hoop Set for Kids - $24.99
Stuffies in a bean bag
Have you ever gone into your kid’s room after you have asked them to clean it up just to find their stuffed animals thrown inside of random drawers and piled up in an overflowing closet? Encourage them to “stash” their stuff away the right way with a bean bag chair that is designed to hold all their stuffed animals.
Yoweenton Bean Bag Stuffed Animal Storage - $41.95.
Hammocks
If your child’s room is small, toy hammocks are the perfect solution! There is no need to take up floor or closet space with your children’s stuffed animals. You can simply hang them from the wall! Bonus - Kids love tossing the toys into the hammock at the end of the day.
Lilly's Love Stuffed Animal Storage Hammock - Large 2 Pack - $27.99
Fun toy box
Who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? You may have more luck getting your kids to put toys and dress-up clothes away if the items “live” in a fun toy box. Some ideas are boxes shaped like a treasure chest, rocket ship, car/truck, tires, a beloved animal, or anything else your kids are interested in.
Classic Racing Tire Toy Chest - $144.61
Toy bucket nightstand
We love when things work double duty. Why not let your child’s nightstand double as toy storage? Fill the drawers of the nightstand they already have with small-part toys rather than underwear and socks or use a basket/bin with a lid as their nightstand. There are also several tables you can buy that include storage within them.
HOMCOM Nesting Coffee Tables Set of 2 with Metal Wire - $99.99
Rolling cart
If the bedroom and playroom are on the same floor of the house, a rolling cart has the bonus of being able to move easily from one room to the other to transport only the toys they want at that time. Small kids love to roll the cart back and forth – that might even become a game all its own!
UDEAR 3-Tier Kitchen Rolling Utility Cart - $37.99
Additional storage tips
Variety is the spice of life, right? In addition to having somewhere to put all their toys, it is a great idea to rotate toys and games in and out of their room and playroom. Have some toys that live downstairs (or wherever else you store things that aren’t being used) and then rotate them out for that “new toy” feeling.
Remember that for kids to be able to put their own toys away, it is important that they can reach the storage solution. That seven-foot bookshelf might seem like a good idea, but your child can’t reach the books on top, and it could be a hazard if they try to climb it to access them.
If sorting and putting away clothes is more of a problem for you than toys (maybe you have a pre-teen or teen who can never quite seem to hit the hamper), try having more than one basket – one for clothes that need to be washed and one for “I could wear these again.”
Let your adolescent decorate the hampers however they want (with stickers or drawing or painting on them) for added buy-in.
The key to stopping the never-ending toy pick-up battle is to get the kids to enjoy cleaning up by making it fun. That may sound impossible, but these six storage solutions will have them tidying up in no time.
*Editor’s Note: All products mentioned in this story were available on amazon.ca at the time of writing.
Stacie is the associate editor of Calgary’s Child Magazine and mother of a delightful daughter and silly son. Her days are filled with playing in parks, creating crafts and keeping up with the chaos. She thoroughly enjoys supporting, connecting and informing parents through interesting stories like this one.
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