How To Declutter & Organize Toys

Help! How Do I Declutter the Enormous Pile of Toys Within My Home?

It’s so, so easy to keep accumulating toys, isn’t it? I mean, what with the birthdays, Christmas, thrift store finds, pass-me-downs to name but a few there always seem to be new toys coming into the house. Yet, does the quantity of toys within your own home feel overwhelming? Do you ever notice your children struggling to engage in free play because there are so many, disorganized toys around them? Check out my previous blog in this series for why natural play is so important and why it is made more difficult in a cluttered environment. Perhaps you have decided that you want to organize and declutter the toys within your home; but you just don’t know where to start. Maybe you long for a more minimalist, simple toy organization system; but you can’t see how it is possible with the number of toys which your children already own.  

Fear not. Here in this blog, I want to support you to feel positive about decluttering the toys within your home. I will share practical tips which have worked for other families and, ultimately, led to more free play for their children. I will help you to find the decluttering method which will work best for you and your family. My hope is for this to empower you to have the level of toy organization which you dream of. I believe that this will support your children in natural play and it will bring you more freedom and peace within your motherhood. There’s no time to lose; let’s get started!

Your Gameplan for Decluttering Toys

Yes, if you have got an enormous pile of toys within your home then you will need a gameplan for reducing and organizing your toys. It is then that your children will be able to enjoy creative, free play and you will know more peace and relaxation within your space. Here are my top tips for decluttering toys and restoring harmony within your home. 

Sort The Toys Into Categories

• It’s ideal if you can group all the toys of one type together. So, for example, in one session you could gather all of the soft toys in your home from each and every room. Another session could involve sorting through all of the children’s craft materials (take a deep breath; I know this can be a big one!). If you work like this, then you will be able to organize your toys most efficiently and this will eventually allow your children the wonderful benefits of free play. Indeed, keep in mind throughout this process that natural play will happen most easily when you have organized toys which encourage deep levels of free play. 

Use A Big Space

• Find a big, empty space to sort your toys. Now you have your first category of toy gathered and ready to sort you are one step closer to supporting natural play within your home. It would be great if you had a big space in which to spread out the toys to be organized. You don’t want a muddle between toys in the process of organization and other toys still to be sorted. 

The Kids Can Help

• Teach your children the benefits of toy organization and enlist their help. This one obviously depends on the age of your little ones. If you feel that your children are ready (you know them best); talk them through why you are choosing to declutter and organize your toys as a family. You absolutely can talk to your children about the benefits of free play; and why you are working hard to support as much natural play as possible. Indeed, it can be truly beneficial for the parent-child relationship and attachment when our children know just how much we want to respect and support their play. 

Hopefully this ongoing conversation with your children about the importance of free play will lead to them being on-board and excited about decluttering their toys. It’s wonderful when our children can be part of the process of choosing which toys will bring them joy, creativity and development throughout their free play. After all, it is our children who know best when it comes to play; they are the experts and all this decluttering of toys is there to support them to know the wonderful benefits of natural play. 

• Deciding how much to keep. Near the start of the decluttering process, it can be helpful to consider your end result. What proportion of toys do you need to lose in order to have the play spaces which support maximum free play for your little ones? Remember that space is valuable. Having enough space enables our children to engage in natural play with creativity and passion. What level of decluttering will bring your family the space and organization which you hope for? Perhaps you will need to reduce the number of toys in your home by a third or even more. Remember that the more space, order and free play you have; the more peace you are likely to know within motherhood. 

• Deciding what to keep. Ok, so this is the big one. How do you know what you should keep and what you should get rid of or recycle? How do you stop yourself feeling overwhelmed and despondent during this whole process? Well, it all comes down to if the toy brings your family purpose and/or joy. If it doesn’t, then it’s time to be ruthless and for that particular toy to find a new home. Repeat this process toy by toy. You are doing so well!

This is where your children can be really helpful in the decluttering process. For it is our children themselves who know which toys bring them joy and enhance the depth of their free play. Moreover, decluttering and home organization is a lifelong skill which you can guide your children in. Allowing your little ones to be part of this process can lead to an ongoing attitude of evaluating toy usefulness for our children (they do need to be old enough for this one). Remember that our children desire deep, natural, free play more than anything. If they understand and are part of the decluttering process; then you can work together to achieve and maintain the play areas within your home. 

A note of caution for those of us who have children who are too young to be part of the decluttering decision-making process. Children can form deep, special and meaningful attachments to their toys. It could be heartbreaking to our little ones to suddenly discover that a special toy has been passed on without them knowing. As you consider if each toy brings purpose and joy to your children; you should also evaluate the level of attachment which they have with that toy and how meaningful the toy is to them. For, if we want natural play to happen within our homes with frequency and depth, then we need to understand and respect the incredible function of free play within the lives of our children.  

• Rotate your toys and increase their play value. Once you have been through the decluttering process; you still don’t need to have all of your toys accessible at once. Remember the analogy of the cluttered kitchen versus the organised cooking space! Free play requires space. It allows a child to creatively and intentionally choose from the materials which surround them. Having a rotational system means that you store some toys away (organized by categories); and then swap them with another toy category at a later date. 

Some families find that this system works best for supporting natural play when they rotate toys every couple of weeks. Other families find that every month or even longer works best for a toy-swap-around. As with all of parenthood; you know your family best and you must choose the system which works best for you. Rotating toys can provide your children with ‘new’ toys to play with; without actually owning more toys. This means that staying on top of your toy organization will be easier! Moreover, rotating toys gives our children the space in which to become lost in deep, natural play. It is a respectful way of organizing our children’s toys whilst providing new play materials and a dynamic playing environment. 

You can do this. You can have a home which is organized and free from clutter. You can support your children to have space to play with such joy and freedom. Take it one step at a time. One toy category at a time. Work together as a family. Little by little; toy by toy; you can have a home which is abundant in peace, laughter and (of course!) play. 

May you find the decluttering process life-giving and productive and may you enjoy the freedom and space which it brings to your family.