If your house looks like a used toy shop and the kids flit from one thing to the next without even enjoying them, this is for you. Here are some tips and thoughts on how to toss, organize, and downsize toys.
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Every once in a while I get an intense urge to purge. I’m married to a packrat and these times are very scary to him. I run around the house with a garbage bag or basket and start separating out things that I want to sell, donate or throw away.
For me, it’s honestly better than shopping.
I’d much rather get rid of things than accumulate things. Call me crazy. The rest of my friends do.
But even if you aren’t like me I’d bet you still want to find a way to have toys without having the toys take over the house.
- I love seeing toys around the house here and there because I know this stage is fleeting.
- I like my children to feel that the house is a place to play and have fun, however, I don’t want the toys to be out of control and nearly impossible to tidy up.
- I think we can organize and downsize toys in a way that there is plenty of stimulus for the children without excess.
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
Here Are Ways To Toss, Downsize, & Organize Kids Toys
I hope this will give you some ideas on what you can do in your own home to have toys available for your children, but not take over the home.
Read: Common Habits Of Organized Stay At Home Moms (With Printables)
Keep some toys within reach, others out of sight or higher up
I would never deprive my children of playing with their toys, however I’ve found that keeping all toys in reach actually backfires.
➡️ Too many visible toys makes for toddlers flitting from one toy to the next without engaging.
I keep all the toys that go in boxes – train set, duplo, wooden toy sets, etc. – in the bottom of a closet in the family room. If they request a toy or need something to do, I go to the closet and let them pick one out.
This also prevents pieces from getting mixed up!
- Board games can be kept in boxes on shelves, slightly out of reach. Or, at minimum, with a family rule not to remove without asking.
- Toys that have many parts that all go together (sets of magna tiles, etc.) can generally be kept together in a cubby or container and put somewhere less accessible, but still reachable.
- Rotate some toys, and keep the ones out of current rotation completely out of reach.
Check off critical household, social, and hygiene skills for your child so they’re prepared (not petrified) of growing up!
Don’t be sentimental about toys if the kids aren’t
If you have truly sentimental toys, things people have made or brought from afar, I wholeheartedly think those should be kept.
However, I don’t think we should be sentimental and attached to toys that our children never play with. Just because it was expensive doesn’t mean it’s valuable.
If it’s a cheap plastic toy, doll, or stuffed animal they never play with don’t feel bad giving it away.
When I feel the urge to purge I ask myself a few questions.
- Did someone we love gift this and is it sentimental to the giver?
- Is this a toy that never gets played with?
- Would the kids even notice if it was gone?
If the answers are no, yes, yes then I put it in a donate pile, every time.
Read: 8 Things To Do The Same Time Every Day, Every Week
The first step to getting rid of chaos is to simplify, simplify, simplify. This guide can help.
Learn More
These checklists include all the tasks that need to be done in various rooms so that your little one can use pictures or text to help them complete a group of chores in one area.
Learn MoreThink age appropriate
If your youngest child is 3 and you aren’t planning on having any others (the best laid plans…) then it’s a great time to get rid of toys for babies and young toddlers.
You may be shocked to find how many toys are taking up residence in your toy room that never get played with and are for children years younger than your own. If you plan on adding to your brood then by all means keep the toys around, but if you have moved into a new phase then I say “out with the old make room for the new.”
- Go through your play room and sort unused toys into piles by age.
- If you will not be having other children, donate the younger ages to another family or charity.
- If you do think you may have more kids, then simply store the toys from each age group separately and out of reach.
4. Lay all the toys out and get a clear picture
The last time I did a major purge I designated the upstairs landing as the toy sorting zone.
This time, I sorted and purged toys as I did major room re-decorations. I spread out all the toys and separated them into developmental age. As I was sorting I felt mildly ill because we had so many toys.
You probably have no idea how many toys you actually have! I sure didn’t.
Just think for a moment. Would they fill up an entire room ? Two? When I stood there and looked at all of them I knew that it wasn’t mean to get rid of some toys. I knew I wasn’t depriving my children of childhood fun.
➡️ In fact, even getting rid of half the toys would still have left them with more than they need.
Read: Dutch Parents Don’t Entertain Their Kids — Here’s Why
Check off critical household, social, and hygiene skills for your child so they’re prepared (not petrified) of growing up!
Get your children involved in the purging
Now, I realize that asking children to help you choose which toys to keep and which toys to get rid of may be a risky venture.
However, kids know which toys they want to play with and which ones they don’t. Depending on the ages of your children this may be a great opportunity to teach them about generosity. It feels good to give and bless others, and it’s never too early to start explaining that principle to your children.
If you know that the toy situation is out of control and you want to get a handle on it, now is the time!
Don’t feel guilty or worry you are somehow depriving your children of fun. A child’s first and foremost need is for secure and stable love, after that the rest is just extra special.
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I’ve got a pile of toys that the kids don’t use or need anymore that I am selling. Of course now every time they see them sitting in the spare room they decide to play with them. Trying to keep them out of sight out of mind until I can get rid of them is tricky.
Yes that is a great point! Sometimes bagging them up and rotating them actually gets them played with and out of sight :)
I have 6 children from ages 9 to 2. I rotate toys every 2 months. It keeps everyone intrigued an occupied. My four boys are harder to occupy than my girls. But this trick works!!
YES!
AMEN To All that !! : ) I’m embracing keeping the toys out of reach and loving it !
I love your blog !
Thank you so much, Amanda!!! Girl you are SO RIGHT. Out of reach means more peace of mind. Whew!
HI, Thanks for sharing. This is so helpful. I come from a family of pack-rats, my husbands family is the opposite. I don’t want to be a pack-rats but instead want my daughter to learn the value of the things she has and not be upset by the things she doesn’t. Its hard to maintain a healthy safe environment I want for my daughter while having so many things in the house, so this is ever so helpful to help downsize everything in general by using guidelines. All your thoughts and work put into your post is greatly appreciated! Thank You!
Hi Melodie, thanks so much for your comments :) My husband and my family are the opposite of yours! It’s definitely a balancing act.
I also love a good purge and have been thinking it’s time to downsize our collection a lot. I have a 5-year age gap between my kids, so I tend to hold onto EVERYTHING, thinking surely the younger one will use it someday.
Here’s my dilemma, with toys in general. We don’t buy tons of toys in our household, and when we do, we try to purchase stuff that lasts, encourages free play and can be used in multiple ways. Most of our toy overflow situation comes from gifts from generous, well-meaning relatives. It’s usually novelty-type stuff that’s fun for the giver to give, but the kids lose interest after only a few days. Then I feel guilty for wanting to get rid of it, and worse, annoyed that this my problem to deal with, when I’m trying hard to keep our collection in check. Has anyone found a solution for this, other than to grin and bear it, and rotate toys? I would love to tell some of these well-meaning people to STOP GIVING US STUFF, but that feels really wrong. I am grateful that our kids have relatives who love them, but I sometimes wish they’d channel that urge a bit differently.
I suffer with the same guilt, girl. THE SAME. I hate giving away or donating toys that were given by loving family members, even if the kids are over it or don’t care. I’m with you on “building” type toys which last a long time. I’ve just found that I keep them a bit, rotate some, and donate others. Often for a party or something I’ll specifically say “don’t give” or “please give xyz type of toy” and say it kindly and that’s that. Ha.
That toy has already fulfilled its purpose in the moment…the giver received joy from giving it. It can be released! :)
We set out from day one to say that we didn’t want toys and shared our reasoning for that with gaining members. (we live in a small apartment) We’ve also been deliberate in letting everyone know that our aim is for the kids to have active relationships with their family members and to receive “experiences” over a present twice a year type thing. When it comes to birthdays, we now seem to have “trained” them to ask for some suggestions on what the kids might like or need. We then also suggest that they take the kid out on a one on one to get said needed thing. Ie shoes etc. Or to the experience. Ie a show/performance etc. Sometimes they just want to give a gift and so we suggest a book. It helps that we’re screen free in our home, but books are so reusable and easy to store (along with all the other benefits)
This is something I’ve tried to do several times, but not with such great organization and purpose. It’s more just complete angst at the amount of toys they have and don’t play with that I go in headstrong and still can’t get rid of most. This is a great plan that I will be implementing! Thank you!
Best of luck!!
Hi,
I just done this about a week ago.
I discussed this with a friend of mine and she told me that she purged all her daughters toys using the garbage bag style. She asked her daughter to sort out toys and put them in black garbage bags to store them in basement. She then took the opportunity to take a look of the stuff that her daughter put in and let them there for a week. She then waited for trash day and took all stuff out early morning with the other garbage for collection. This is what I have done and it really works. You know that what your children do not want is meaningless to stay there. Then you need to be a mean mom and chuck unwanted stuff out.
If you want some tips, do let me know.
Kim, that’s an awesome way to do it :)
yes now I feel more stress relieved.
Sometimes we keep on rotating and storing toys for noting. When children loose their interest in them, its difficult to ask for them again. And most of the time you need a lot of effort to sort load them and take them to charity, and then you realize than the majority of them are thrown out. Hence might as well toss the unwanted stuff in garbage and take them out of sight as quick as possible to avoid changing minds.
A friend of mine suggested that it is more convenient to do the big purge before children stop from school before the Summer holidays. She would be alone purging stuff that her children are no longer interested in and make sure that is out for garbage collection before they arrive back.
Thanks Rachel.
That’s a great idea, before summer holidays because you’ll probably add some more in that time anyway!
I was wondering if you could post a list of toys that you have found to be the most multi-age/multi gender Friendly.
My son is turning 2 this month and I have 3 month old twin girls. My Family is asking for some birthday present ideas and I don’t want a bunch of random toys in my house. I want stuff that the girls will eventually use as well. What have been your family favorites?
Lindsey, great question… I’m not the right person to ask it to though. Ha. We really don’t have a lot of toys except LEGO, Duplo, blocks, and trucks. My daughter has Barbies and dolls, but I am not a great ‘toy shopper.’ What they have my family gave. Sorry I’m not of more help!
Art supplies! They keep their interest and they are temporary!
Educational toys are gender neutral. Puzzles, fine motor skilled activities, books, play dough, paint, and coloring books.
Hi Rachel, love your blog. I do try to pluge my child’s toys and she is already 10 and have lots of toys she no longer plays. When i try to involve her in throwing out the toys that are like for 3yr olds and she will tell me that she no longer play them… but she can relate back to a time where we used to play it together( she is the only child). I used to spend time playing with her. She is able to evoke so much emotions and memories with some of the toys and i grew all mushy inside and decide to keep the toys.
Take poctures of you and your daughter with the toys. Write down the memories of the play times in her lovely words and then scrapbook the memories. Toss the toys.
Great comment Lisa,
This is how it should be done.
Have you ever used black garbage bags to toss toys?
I was having a chat with a friend of mine and said that she tossed toys in clear bags, and while sitting on the curb for garbage collection, they were taken by someone else.
Creating a routine with the kids reinforce the idea of keeping toys, books and craft items where they belong. At the end of the day parents and children have to work together to make it happens until its comes naturally. I have some kids organizing rooms tips Thanks for these great tips !!
Find a children’s home/Charity in the neighbourhood that you can donate all your unwanted gifts to. It really relieves the guilt that you are not just throwing them out but giving them to underprivilaged kids who will appreciate them!
As a husband it feels like my wife is holding on to all the toys. I practically have to throw toys away behind her back. I have 3 kids and it’s getting to be too much. I almost want to throw/donate all the toys away and start fresh. Any advice ladies?
Hello Rachel
Thanks For your information. I am searching this type of blog as like your blog. Please pray for my child.
Thanks Rachel! I recently did a purge/clean and it was so freeing. I esp love #4 about laying everything out in one spot. That was new to me and it helped me a ton. I’m in the same boat, I like to toss stuff and my husband is more sentimental so it’s a process ;)
Thanks!
Oh yes, my husband is sentimental too. The kids seem to be as well, but if it’s been out of sight for a while and nobody remembers it… BYE BYE :)
What worked for us, was to limit number of toys, which are only for certain age, as much, as it was possible. So we have mostly Lego bricks and board games. We love to play chess, but we don’t have an actual chess board, every time we are making one with the bricks. Also, thanks to book with chess diagrams and puzzles (net-bossorg/chess-puzzles-for-kids-by-maksim-aksanov), kids can play the game alone, to practice and learn more about this game :)
I have a couple “road block” problems when it comes to toys. The big one is my house; I don’t have any closets. It’s a 100 yr old house, built without closets. I’ve tried organizing toys in bins, on bookshelves, in clear tubs, stackable drawers, and on shelves. My house feels like a toy shop. She literally has toys in every room. My kitchen is so small that I have a tall 5 shelf wire rack for my “pantry”. There are tiny farm animals sitting on the tops of canned veggies! She’s very into tiny toys; cars, animals of all types, hatchimals, LOL dolls, etc.
The second problem is her bestie. Her great-grandmother and grandmother are raising her, and they do not throw ANY toys out. She has stacks of clear boxes in her play room and more in the garage because they won’t throw them out. So my daughter feels like she should be allowed to do the same thing. Every time I try rounding up toys for donation, the emotions run wild and it turns into a huge ordeal to get rid of even the smallest amount.
I really am living in a toy house, with an army of stuffies, a huge doll house, 2 rideable horses, and tons of toys Help!
suzie, I feel this when friends have TONS of toys which makes our own kids feel deprived. I’d keep your eye on the prize there and just say, oh how nice for her excellent you get to play when you are there, and keep doing what you are doing. Researchi s very clear on how too many toys prevents getting into the play!
Best information for me. Thanks for this information.
nice post
I feel like I don’t have a good handle on what’s developmentally appropriate. And I’m sentimental! And my older child, 7, is a bit of a late bloomer and has inattentive adhd. My youngest is 5. Do you have a resource on types of toys and age ranges? Thanks!