I have been working with a lot of clients the past month on getting their kids’ toys organized before the holidays.
And my biggest goal is to reduce the number of toys they have in their homes. I always hide the toys in another room before we decide if we are donating/selling them.
It is an easy trick to see if the kids actually remember the toy.
So I ended up getting a text from a client after an organizing session. She told me her kiddos ran to the basement to go play and started screaming. She ran down to see what was wrong, only to find out they were ecstatic over their “new” toys.
Their toys weren’t new, they were just able to see what they had! Because things were grouped together, and the amount of toys was drastically reduced, the kids thought they were new.
So my goal for you, this holiday season, is to give the gift of less. Give your kiddos less! But how, you ask?? Just follow these tips!
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Group Types Together
The first step to reducing the toys is to group like items together.
So grab all those cars and trucks and make a giant pile. Do that with every type of toy you have. All the games together. All the blocks together. Art stuff.
The reason behind this is so you can visually see all the stuff you have. It will help with the next few steps, I promise!
Declutter Kids’ Toys
Go through each pile and get rid of toys that aren’t played with. Toys that are broken. Toys that are “baby-ish”.
Don’t get overwhelmed by the piles. Just start on one pile at a time.
After each pile, take a short break if you need! Just make sure to set a timer for each break so you will finish editing those toys.
Be Ruthless
When you are going through each pile, be ruthless with getting rid of toys.
The likelihood of most children remembering every toy is rather slim. But I totally get there may be certain toys the kids will remember.
I have a kiddo who can recall who gave him each toy and what birthday/holiday it was from.
If you have a kiddo like that, I would suggest getting them involved in the editing process.
Start by going through one type of toy at a time.
Ask them if they want to keep this particular toy. If they say no, don’t continue to ask. Just put it in the bag. Never make them second-guess their decisions.
You can hide the toys, just in case, if you are worried about them being sad later. It does make an excellent teaching opportunity!
But get rid of toys they aren’t actually playing with NOW. If you feel they might play with a toy, get rid of it. This is how to be ruthless.
Just remember there are kiddos out there who don’t have as much as yours. Those kiddos would love the toys your kids don’t play with. Be ruthless, with purpose!
I created a list of places to donate, what they accept, and numbers to reach to ask any questions. Now is the time to donate toys to some incredible organizations!!
Small Bins
Once you have reduced the amount of toys you have, store each category of toy in a small bin.
Once that small bin is full, it is time to do a purge again. It is an easy visual reminder that you are accumulating too much!
Some of my favorite small bins are:
Hide When Unsure To Help Get Kids’ Toys Organized
Still unsure if you made the right decision to get rid of a toy? Hide that toy in the attic or storage room.
Set a reminder on your phone for 1 month. If the kids don’t request the toy, you know you can donate or sell!
Ways To Get Kids’ Toys Organized
It might take a while for you to get use to living with less. But once you get in the habit of giving your kiddos less stuff, and more experiences, you will be surprised by how excited they are about their current toys!
So what do you give kiddos this holiday season?? I have a few ideas!!
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