5 Simple Steps to Decluttering Kids Toys
Is your home cluttered with too many toys that your children no longer need or want? Learn how to declutter kids toys in 5 simple steps to help keep your home tidy and organized.
Most kids don’t like letting go of their toys even when they no longer need them. This is can actually make decluttering toys a bit difficult.
However, decluttering your children’s toys actually can be a good thing. It will make your child’s room and your home neater and less congested.
Studies also show that when excess clutter is removed from children’s lives, they actually are happier and can focus better while feeling less stressed.
If you are planning on decluttering the toys in your home, it is best to do when your younger children are not at home or are occupied elsewhere.
Most young children will want to keep everything and you’ll end up keeping far more toys than you originally intended to.
Older children can help with the decluttering, choosing those toys they no longer have an interest in.
In this article, we discuss the most efficient ways of decluttering your kids’ toys.
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How to Declutter Kids Toys in 5 Simple Steps
#1. Start by Really Observing Your Children at Play
Before you start the toy decluttering process, spend several days or a week really watching your kids and the toys they play with the most.
Make note of those toys, since those are the toys you are most going to want to keep.
When it comes time to actually start decluttering your child’s toys, separate these favorite toys and set them aside to keep.
#2. Gather All the Other Toys Together
After you have sorted out your children’s favorite toys, then you’ll want to gather all the other toys in the house together.
Immediately throw away any broken toys, or toys with missing parts as these are the least likely to be played with by any child.
#3. Sort All the Other Toys into Categories
You are then going to sort out all the other toys into categories. Put vehicles into one pile, building toys into another, art supplies into another category and so on and so forth.
In the end you are going to want to keep only a few toys from each category. There may be some categories you can remove completely.
For those toys that are still in good condition, you may want to consider donating them to a women’s shelter, church or somewhere else where others may benefit from the toys you no longer want or need.
#4. Try and Keep Open Ended Toys
When sorting through those toys try and keep open-ended toys rather than close-ended toys. Open ended toys are:
- Toys that help children to be creative such as art supplies and building blocks.
- Those toys that burn off energy such as jump ropes, pogo sticks, bikes etc.
- Toys that can be used in several different ways such as balls that can be used for a variety of games. These include puppets and a puppet theater, balance beams, swings, jungle gyms. Play vehicles etc.
Consider getting rid of close ended or limited use toys first. Close ended toys would include toys such as:
- Puzzles
- Any toy that can be used in only one way or can be used only one time. For instance coloring pages. Once the page is colored it no longer is useful to children.
#5. Organize the Toys So They Are Easy for the Children to See
Putting toys in a toy box either means that the toys on the bottom will never get played with or the entire toy box will get dumped when the child is looking for a specific toy.
Placing toys on shelves or placing small cars or building blocks in clear containers will allow children to see what is in each container without having to dump it.
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Final Thoughts on Decluttering Kids Toys
Decluttering those children’s toys doesn’t have to be difficult; it just takes a bit of organization and a sound plan. Hopefully, the ideas we have presented to you will make that decluttering job easier.
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