Outdoor toy storage solutions don’t have to be fancy or expensive! Now that the weather is improving, I took some time to organize our outdoor toys so my kids can easily access them and I can sit back and watch them play instead of searching for the tennis racket or football!

Check out below for some simple steps to creating easy outdoor toy storage solutions.

Gather All the Toys

For starters, move all of the toys to one place in the backyard. While certain toys such as bikes and scooters might stay in the garage, the majority of the toys can and should be played with in the backyard. This keeps everyone safe and all toys easy to reach. And I no longer have to run up front with one kid while the other kid plays unsupervised in the back yard.

Categorize the Toys

With all of the toys in the backyard now, you can assess the quantity. And if you’re like us, you’ll likely need more storage! Our patio box holds the pillows for the outdoor seating, extra swings for the swing set, and some toys.  But not all the toys fit into the box, and it’s always difficult for the kids to get toys that fall to the bottom of the box. I needed another storage solution– something durable but not permanent.

Create Easy Storage

I found these milk crates at The Container Store but they are at most hardware stores as well.  Using zip ties we purchased for baby-proofing some things around the house, I tied the crates to the fence.  I made sure to hang the milk crates at a height that everyone could reach.

One milk crate has all the backyard sports balls, one milk crate has all the water toys.  And I turned one milk crate on its side to store some sporting equipment such as baseball bats, tennis rackets, hockey sticks and cones.

Some of the larger toys like trucks, sprinklers, and bigger water toys still go into the patio box.  But now I have more room for things to store in the patio box, and I don’t have to worry about someone falling into the box as they search for a toy!