Hey friends! Be sure to check out these tips AND MORE today on Good Afternoon Arkansas, Channel 7 at 3PM!
Many of us just had an influx of toys of the holiday break. So now that they are all open and played with, how do you keep your space clutter free and picked up? I have 3 things to tell ya about it.
1) Declutter - too many toys means kids get overwhelmed and won’t be able to focus - and they end up playing with weird stuff like a toilet paper roll. Go through toys with your kiddos and pull out anything broken or too young for your child. Toss or fix what is broken, and donate whatever they have outgrown.
2) Store like with like and label with PICTURES: find a uniform bin set like the Ikea trofast or these cubes from target. Each bin gets a specific type of toy- for example, one for dolls, one for wooden toys and one for heroes & villains. Don’t make your bins too specific, the categories need to be easy enough for your child to be able to sort them solo.
I use a cricut vinyl cutter to make labels that also show a symbol of what you are storing in the bin for non-readers. If you don’t have a professional organizer to make them for you, you can make them yourself if you have a vinyl cutter or order them on Etsy.
3) Teach your kids to put away their own toys. Once we had our system set up, we built “putting away toys”’into our nightly routine after baths, Pjs, and brushing teeth, Kids are a workforce- use them! I literally sit in the sofa each night and they do all the pick up! Trite but true, they say it takes 3 weeks to make or break a habit. Once your you organizing system is in place, work with kids for a few weeks to help them practice using the system. Kids thrive with routine, they should be putting away their own toys in a month!
Peace, love, and labelmakers (and Happy New Year!)!
Megan
about | space www.aboutspaceorganizing.com megan@aboutspaceorganizing.com C. 718.909.9290 O. 501.503.1634
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