Wouldn’t it be great if Santa would take away a sack of old toys when he dropped the new ones off!?
If we were super organised we’d have done a big declutter before all the new Christmas toys arrived. But I didn't, and I’m betting you didn't either so now’s the time to get sorted.
Here are some top tips for getting all those toys tucked away:
Have a clear-out and make some space
First things first, it’s time to consider what they actually enjoy playing with. It’s tempting to hold onto things that we really hoped they’d love whether we bought them a couple of months or a couple of years ago. But, if they’ve got zero interest it makes sense to pass them on. Consider selling them, donating them to a charity shop or posting them on your Estate’s Facebook group on a first-come-first-served basis. Don’t forget to go through the shed as well as the playroom!
Rotate the toys
Kids don’t need to be able to access all their toys all the time. You may have some spare space in their wardrobes or drawers upstairs. And if so, you can rotate the toys so you bring out different sets and games on different days. They’ll be much more excited to see something miraculously reappear than if they’re looking at it all the time.
Look into new storage solutions
It’s probably been so long since you’ve seen your playroom (or sitting room) floor that you’ve forgotten what colour it is. If there’s no space left for more cabinets or benches, consider toy hammocks for soft toys, shoe racks that loop over the back of doors for bits and bobs, under-bed storage for board games and floating shelves for toys they’d like to display. The Ikea spice rack is also perfect for housing their favourite books.
Group and label everything
In order for everything to stay tidy, group everything logically and label as you go. When it comes to LEGO don’t sweat over the fact that their sets are getting jumbled up. A primary school teacher told me that once your child has attempted to make the model it’s much better to let all the bricks and characters get mixed up as it encourages them to be more imaginative and creative. It also means you can get rid of all the boxes they came in.
Once you’re done, just make sure you’re not back to square one when their birthday comes around. See if they’d like to ask for tickets to the zoo or activities instead of toys this year!
