Organizing Toys: Part One – The Great Purge
What a better time than right before school starts to reorganize your child’s play space. Whether you are the organized type or if you are slightly challenged when it comes to organization, a play space can always use a good over haul!
First things first:
PURGE!
This is a perfect time to sort through all of your child’s toys and decide which ones they are no longer interested in. This can be a step where you include your child in the process as you know that the second you donate that toy that they haven’t touched in six months, they will inquire about it.
It is very difficult for children to say goodbye to toys, however, getting rid of personal items is a part of life and now is a good time for them to start. Of course, we aren’t talking about their lovies or their favorite toys. I’m talking about all of the smaller things that accumulate over time; the ones that you don’t even know where they came from.
Let’s get started, shall we?
- Find three good sized plastic bins. If you don’t have bins, you could use garbage bags (but it is nice to be able to see the items). I have also used little throw rugs to designate these spaces in order to outline the space for each pile. Label each bin with either: Keep, Give Away or Unsure. Another label system that is more wordy, but may help the younger children with this activity would be
a) I play with this often
b) I hardly play with this at all
c) I am not sure if I’m ready to get rid of this, but I don’t use it much. - Item by item, help your child sort their toys into the three piles/bins. Note: You may want to start this process over for each type of toy depending on how many toys your child has.
- At the end, put all of the items in the giveaway bin into a garbage bag, so they are no longer visible and your child will be less likely to change their mind about giving them away. Then, revisit the “Unsure” or “I am not sure if I am ready to get rid of this” pile and see if you can agree to get rid of more. If not, that is alright, however, take note of what items are in this pile and keep an eye as to whether or not they get used. Perhaps you could revisit these items in a few weeks (one by one).
Again, it is very difficult for children to part with their toys. Try explaining to them that in order to make room for new toys, it is important that you give away the ones that you are no longer interested in otherwise your house will become a place that no one enjoys living in as it will be taken over by toys.
Stay tuned for the next step: Organizing Your Child’s Toys: Part Two – Sorting, Placing and Labeling
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toys says...
My rule of thumb: for every new toy he gets, we sell an old toy on ebay.