New Year Clean Up

With Christmas over and the new year begining, now is the perfect time to clean up and organize all those toys.

It seems that dispite the poor economy, families still went all out for their kids this holliday season; which often means a new clutter of toys to grapple with. I've noticed on facebook a lot of complaints about all the toys that parents don't have room for or don't know how to organize it all. This got me thinking about my daycare days and the great tricks I learned for organizing and keeping the clutter at bay.
One of the first things I picked up was at a small center. The toys that were out in the cubboards only made up approximately one fourth of the total toys assigned to that room. Every three months the staff would go through the closets of their room to grab the empty boxes and containers. We would put the toys from the play cubboards away and pull out the toys from the closet. The next Monday, the kids were so excited to play with the "new toys"! It was wonderful to see how their imaginations were almost rebooted and the old excitement of anything-is-possible seemed to light up their eyes. Ok, now that I've rambled, lol.
It was this experience that inspired me to clean up my act, so to speak, regarding the mess that was the toy/ playroom. Since we have had to downgrade, organization and avoiding clutter is now essential. I depend on the toy exchange and yearly decluttering right before Christmas (usually a month before) to keep my living room and children's toys organized and clutter free! 


Here are a few tips to help you on your way to a new toy area or play room.


If your child(ren) have more toys than he/she/they know what to do with, it's time for donations or whatever you want to do with them. If your child(ren) is/ are over 5, I suggest doing this together. Go through the toys and have three boxes or containers (per child) to put them away in. One box should be for favorite, often used, and/ or new toys; to be returned to the toy box or shelf. Another box should be toys that are played with occasionally or rarely and under two years old; to be put in the storage area, closet or hidden elsewhere for three to six months (when you'll do a toy exchange). The last box should be toys that are broken, never used or are over two years old; to be donated, given away or thrown out.  I use the toy age when I know they are not playing with that toy, but they want to keep it. Half your kid(s) toys is a good ratio for the toy exchange, depending on how much space and clutter you have. On a side note: for toys that are consistent favorites, I don't include them in the toy exchange. Remember, this is about creating excitement for toys that are over shadowed or simply forgotten amongst the clutter, as well as getting things clean and organized. My rule of thumb for the large toys is no more than five items or as long as they fit in a designated area. Generally it works out, unless you or your kid(s) happen to be packrats. My living room is on the small side, so I'm careful what I keep out for them. If it doesn't get played with often, it goes into storage until the next toy exchange, period.
This has really helped me over the years to curb the toy spending and keep the kids interested in what they already have. As I tell my friends, almost every toy exchange my kids act like it's Christmas! At least one of our two older kids make the comment "I forgot about this!" It really is a great feeling to see how much they all enjoy their toys and knowing that it was worth buying them.