October 16, 2008
Clutter Control for Preschoolers’ Toys
If you're the parent of a preschooler you know how difficult it can be to keep track of all their toys. Legos, Matchbox cars, Barbies, stuffed animals – your preschoolers love them, but keeping all those pieces and parts organized can leave you wondering if there really is a way to control the chaos. One real sanity saver is to get your kids used to the fact that every one of their toys has a designated place it belongs, but the key to staying organized is to make it easy for your kids to put those toys in the proper places. Children respond to an organized environment and when they are involved in the organizing process, it gives them a sense of pride in their belongings and the order in which they keep them.
TIP #1 – KEEP IT LOW: Since preschoolers can’t reach very high, use lots of low shelves to hold their toys. Also, when something they want is out of reach, preschoolers tend to scale shelves to get to it, creating a serious safety issue.
TIP #2 – GO MODULAR: Use storage components that can be altered as your kids grow and their needs and abilities change.
TIP #3 – MAKE IT CLEAR: Use clear plastic containers for toy storage. Leave the lids off for easy access. If your kids can see it, they’re more likely to play with it. Clear containers also help things go easier and faster at clean-up time.
TIP #4 – LABEL, LABEL, LABEL: Young kids can't read, but they’re usually good at matching items. Make your “labels” photos or drawings of the items that go in each container. While they can’t read at this age, adding a descriptive word or two below the picture might peak an interest in what words say and help with later literacy skills.
TIP #5 – KEEP LIKE WITH LIKE: Keeping similar things together makes it easy for kids to clean up after themselves and prevents toys from becoming a big jumble. Have a container that’s all cars, a container that’s all Barbies, a container that’s only wooden blocks, etc.
TIP #6 – STORING LEGOS: Storing Legos, the ingenious, multi-piece construction system, is one of the most common toy storage problems for parents. The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has awarded BOX4BLOX its prestigious “Organizers Choice Award” for it’s fantastic storage and sorting system for Legos. It would be a great gift to give along with a LEGO® set for any child interested in being creative AND organized.
TIP #7 – BE CONSISTENT: Have consistent clean-up times, i.e. before lunch, before dinner and before bed. Be sure to stick to them and, if your kids need it, reinforce which items go in which containers during those times.
TIP #8 – IN AND OUT: Many kids have more toys than they can play with at one time and more than there’s space to have out. Put some of them away in storage and occasionally rotate the ones that are out with the ones that are put away. You’ll be amazed at your kids’ happy reactions!
TIP #9 – "HELLO FRIEND, GOOD-BYE STRANGER": This is a simple way to weed out toys that your kids no longer like or play with. Explain that their toys are either like friends or like strangers. The ones they really like and play with are "friends" and they get to stay. The toys they don't play with any more or are too "babyish" for them are like "strangers" and they get to go live with a new child who doesn't have toys. When children are aware that they can help another child, they are often happy to donate and take pride in doing so. The key here is remove the toys deemed strangers from sight and access, but - and I cannot stress this enough - they need to be kept for a while in storage before being given away or sold. Inevitably, there will be certain toys your child will miss, want and cry over. Being able to retrieve them will be essential.
TIP #10 – A ROOM WITH A VIEW: Hang your kid’s favorite artwork from clothes pins attached to a string running along the top of the wall in their rooms. That way all the world – or at least those near and dear to them – will be able to ooh and aah appropriately over them.
TIP #11 – MEMORIES: More than once in my work as a Professional Organizer, I have come across parents who were more attached to a toy than their child was. It’s certainly okay to keep some sentimental items, but be careful not to let it get out of hand.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009