Now that the holidays are over, we have entered the part of the year where we focus on making ourselves and our lives better. That often involves a bit of spring cleaning in January.
And with all of the new things that were gifted over the holiday season, it can be easy to look around and give up before you even begin.
As a mom of 4 boys under 10, I am overwhelmed every year by the amount of toys that we receive. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful that they have so many people who love them in their lives. But, man, SO MANY TOYS!!!
It can be debilitating to think about where all of the new things are going to go. But, I’ve worked out a way to get it done and keep my sanity. Let me share some of my best storage tips for all of those new toys!
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Getting Started
Breathe
First and foremost, take a breath. It can be overwhelming looking at the pile of stuff you now need to store. The last thing that you need to do is panic. It’s just stuff! They are just things and there is a good chance that your kids will out grow of some of those things within the next 12 months (yes, a depressing thought).
So, if you can’t find the perfect place for everything, don’t worry!
Choose your Method
You can go a couple ways here, depending on what your space allows. We have lived in a lot of different places and have had dramatically different storage options for the toys. Our toys have lived everywhere from our living room to a dedicated playroom in different places. In our current space, the kids have the entire basement for their toys. So, we have a lot of different storage methods going on.
Baskets, bins, boxes, containers with lids, shelves, and drawers are some of the possibilities here. Look at your space and the things that you have to store, and go from there.
Let’s Do This!
Alright, let’s dig into how I store some of our favorite toys!
Legos
My boys love, Love, LOVE their Legos. If they could spend all day everyday building, they certainly would! We have entered the phase with my oldest two (9 and 7) where they are primarily asking for Legos at Christmas, now. I am thankful for the size change (Legos are so much smaller than the big toys they used to ask for), however, we now need a place to store all of the finished builds. Preferably out of 3 year old reach.
I have organized Legos in a few different ways over the past few years. Since we have now acquired so many sets, our current method takes up some space.
Here is how we organize our Legos:
- IKEA 2×4 Shelving Units (2 for us!)
- Clear bins of varying sizes
- Lots of Legos!
And for those smaller pieces, grab this photo box organizer. It is the perfect way to contain and separate the little pieces that your kids will want quick access to!
As for the finished builds, my husband built a corner shelf out of reach of the littles to display their creations.
Blocks
Blocks are a favorite for my kids. Whenever they want to create an animal world (which is everyday) they always use blocks as the base for their play world.
Right now, we store our blocks in a large bin for easy access and clean up.
K’nex
K’nex are used daily in our home and for that reason, I wanted them to be accessible. They used to live in a drawer and are now housed in a large bin. Makes clean up a breeze!
Animal Figures
Animal figures are the stars of the basement when Legos aren’t in use. They are used for everything and I have found them in play everywhere from Hot Wheels City to the kitchen!
Because we have so many animals and so many types of animals, they have their own storage space complete with many smaller bins to organize them.
Cars
My little two (5 and 3) are really into cars right now. So, Hot Wheels City gets plenty of use! Because my 3 year old isn’t the most patient when cleaning up, I wanted to make car storage easy for him. For that reason, we use a large open bin to keep the cars contained.
Books
Books, books, books. Give my 9 year old a stack of books and you won’t hear him for the rest of the day. He LOVES to read! And he’s not alone. Although the other kids don’t have his reading stamina yet, they will sit with a pile of books far longer than would be expected at their ages.
And when I stopped teaching Kindergarten to stay home with these sweeties, I brought a classroom full of books with me! To be completely honest, we still have at least 4-5 Home Depot moving boxes full of books we have yet to unpack. We have so many books that I can’t even keep them all out at once!
Because we are a family that loves to read, I have some serious organization when it comes to our books. Thanks to the previous owners, we have these amazing built ins in the basement which have been a life saver! I truly don’t know where our books would be if we didn’t have them!
I have used my book bins from my classroom to organize a majority of the books that are out (yes, there are way more that are stored!). The other books that are accessible to the kids live on the bookshelves and in their rooms.
Kitchen
All of my kiddos have loved our play kitchen. It has been a staple of play since my oldest was a toddler. As we have accumulated more food over the years, I added a 3 tier basket organizer to house all of the food. This basket organizer was actually meant for a real kitchen, but it works perfectly in our play space!
Odds and Ends
There are always those random toys that you don’t have enough of to make an entire category or that are awkwardly shaped. Those live in a variety of places for us. I have grouped as many as possible in our built in drawers using smaller lidded containers. And, the rest are stored in small baskets on our bookshelves or in larger bins in our open space.
Make it Your Own
No matter what you do, make it your own. Don’t let anyone else tell you how to store the things that live in your house.
And, know that it is perfectly fine to let go of some things that no longer serve you. Even if you just received them! We all know that gift givers are well intentioned, but they don’t have to live in your house; you do! Keep what you love and let go of what you don’t. If you need it, I give you permission 😉
Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend. As always, you can find us on Pinterest and see what we are up to on Instagram. Enjoy your New Year!
Looking for some quiet (tech free) time to come down from the holidays? Check out our Quiet Bins for the ultimate fun and quiet to refuel and get ready for the year ahead!
[…] to organize the rest of the toys? I’ve got you covered! Check out what we use and how I keep our toys aesthetically pleasing and […]