How to manage your kid’s toys

Research shows that too many toys is actually not good for children; it can be overwhelming if they’re surrounded by too many choices. When it comes to your child’s play room, less is more! As your kids gets older, they can cope with more toys, but the numbers should be limited and monitored.

Here are a few suggestions for managing your children’s toys:

1. Rotate toys

When you do a toy rotation, your kids have the opportunity to see and play with the toys in front of them. You can put some toys away in storage for a few weeks at a time, and they’ll have options to play with these toys when you bring them back out later.

2. Donate toys

As soon as you notice that your child has outgrown a toy, you can donate it (unless you’re saving the toys for younger kids in the family). Children are often more willing to donate their toys when they know that other children will be able to play with them.

3. Avoid duplicates

It’s easy to load up on the toys that your child loves, but they don’t need mass quantities of their favorite toys. Instead, you can focus on finding great quality toys instead of the quantity of them.

4. Lend & swap toys

Your friends and family members may be struggling with toy overload in their homes too. You can help each other out by swapping toys and loaning your toys to others. In this case, you know that someone else is enjoying them and you’re not dealing with major toy overload in your space.

5. Talk to the gift givers

This is a hard one, but it is necessary. You may want to talk to those who gift your child with toys and make suggestions for other options. Instead of getting more toys, you might ask for experiences, money for their bank account, books for their reading library, or donations to a favorite charity.

6. Watch your spending habits

It’s important for you to pay attention to the toys you are purchasing as well. The toy collection grows quickly so don’t contribute to the problem. Your child will have the toys that he or she needs so make a list of other things that you can do other than buying more toys. You should be cautious all year but especially for birthdays and holidays!

7. Teach systems for organization and clean up

Regardless of the number of toys in your home, it’s important to teach your child how to manage them. You should teach your child to play with one toy or type of toy at a time and clean up after playing with them. I strongly encourage you to set your child up for success by teaching him or her how to manage the toys.

Regardless of what you do, the toys will accumulate. My biggest piece of advice for managing the toys is to stay on top of them constantly. When you stay on top of the toys, they’re less likely to take over your home. Best of luck, it is a work in progress!


Follow Side By Side Design Texas for more tips & ideas:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidebysidedesigntexas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sidebysidedesigntexas

If you’d like to book a session, complete our form to get started!

https://www.sidebysidedesign.org/contactus

Side By Side Design Texas offers decluttering, organizing and moving services in Houston & the surrounding areas!