How to Organize Your Play Room

Once the days grow shorter, the nights longer, and the weather turns cooler, the young ones at home head indoors for more and more of their playtime.  And while you worry less not having to wonder about their safety or whereabouts, you wonder just how much cleanup will be required once it’s time to put the toys away for the evening.

That’s a dilemma shared by millions upon millions of US household, but now you can break out of that pack with the following simple ways to create and maintain a sense of order in your play room and in any other room where toys are enjoyed.

Sort by category: Anytime your entire toy stash gets called into action, it’s tough even knowing where to start before putting them all away.  Well, how about putting them all in one or more big piles and begin sorting.  You will probably find toys your children hardly even play with along with those that are broken and should be discarded.  Once that part is done, sort the rest in like categories, such as imagination toys, play tools, kids’ kitchen sets, dolls and accessories, board games, and all the rest.

Have a place for everything: Once the sorting is done, you need a place for everything that has survived the initial purge.  You may find that some groups of toys are for the living room vs. your son’s or daughter’s room. Toys that go with a doll house or Lego table have their own unique places.  You can also create storage space with shelving, buckets, hooks, or baskets. Play tables usually have additional storage beneath them.

Label: Although everything now may have a place, it can still be hard to remember what’s where.  To solve that little problem, out labels in words or draw descriptive pictures if your children aren’t reading yet.  Labeling devices that can be removed or changed are also a great idea because as children change, so will their toys.

Make it a routine: Teaching kids to clean up is a daily chore of parenting! Making it a routine, however, means the kids know what to expect and will eventually do it on their own. With a label on everything, and everything with a place, the children will learn quickly where everything goes. They’ll also get used to how cleanup impacts other activities if, for example, you make it mandatory before computer time, watching TV, or going to bed.

Add it all up and you’ll have cleaner play areas more disciplined children in no time.