Did you know that some research shows that people use 20% of what they own 80% of the time? The rest takes up space, mostly untouched. Consider the things in your home, the clothes in your closets, and even what you take in your luggage on vacation. This easily stands true for most adults, but when translated to children and their toys it is most absolutely correct.
The amount of toys children these days have are significantly higher than let’s say 40 years ago. Toys are often on sale, you can buy them second hand and parents fall into the trap of buying a variety of new toys often to attempt to occupy their child a little longer. This is all in fact very counter effective. Most toddlers, in the room with fewer toys, are more actively engaged for longer periods of time. There are less toys to chose from and to distract them so the rely on creativity and imagination to explore a variety of ways to play with what they have.
This is why parents choose to rotate toys, where they pack up a selection of certain toys the child owns only to bring them out some time later (usually months later) and introduce them to the child as something new.
But overall the issue still might be too many toys. How do you organize them best so that they are accessible yet they don’t lay around your living space scattered around al the time?
If you are living in a smaller space, it might be smart to invest in furniture that doubles as storage, for example ottomans, benches, even tables. This way when it is all packed away inside those furniture pieces your space looks clean and toy free. If there is space under your child’s bed in the bedroom, perhaps get one of those rolling under the bed storage containers. There are also classic toy boxes that are either wood or plastic but they double as a bench or a reading nook for your little one. Obviously a toy storage unit or shelving units are an easy fix but sometimes not all the toys fit here.
There are also many options of over the door organizers, woven baskets, plastic tubs with lids, shoe racks for toy boxes, or even sticking toy nets to their bedroom wall to keep them off the floor. The last one usually comes in handy for all their stuffies. Don’t all children have TOO many stuffed animals they are attached to?
And one overall useful hint and teaching point is to purge and involve your kids in doing so. Whether they have outgrown certain toys or have duplicates, engage them in a conversation where you periodically select toys for donations for children in need. Depending on their age it may be hard for them to grasp that concept as they don’t have a clue about money and what something is truly worth but if you persist with this, you will have some generous selfless kids to be proud of.
