Works For Me Wednesday - Toy Organization

What parent isn't looking for a better way to deal with the toy clutter? Our family room was being over run by toys and we had no real way to pick them all up and get them off the floor. Then I came up with this idea. A lot of my friends have commented on my system and a few have even done it at their homes so I thought I would share it for this week's Works For Me Wednesday in hopes of helping with your toy clutter as well.

A picture speaks a thousand words so I'll start with that...





Close up to show tags -


I got these cubicle storage cubbies at Target. They come in either white or natural finish. You can get them with 8 cubbies like mine or you can buy them in just two, or a few other combinations. You can pick what works best for the space you have to work with. I like the 8 because there was the most surface area to be able to also place toys on top as well. They are back in the storage section in our Target - near the wash baskets, closet organization systems, etc. They go on sale quite a lot so if you look for one of those sales you can save yourself a few bucks too.

The boxes also came from Target. They have a ton of different colors. They are collapsible canvas boxes. I believe they were about $6.00 maybe?

I arranged the toys into groups that went together - all the Little People went in one box, My Little Ponies went into another, the play food for the kitchen is in one and the dishes in another, etc etc.

I then created a Word document to put pictures of the contents of each box and the words and print them out. To find the original images I used Google Images and found something that worked for every box that I had. Then I used the at home laminating paper to laminate the pages - here is where I would really recommend either using card stock or spend the couple bucks (if you don't have a machine yourself) and take your papers to Office Max or somewhere and get them laminated. I'm finding that the do it yourself laminating covering is peeling off and driving me crazy. I really need to redo my tags. Anywho - then I got some adhesive velcro - attached one side to the box and one side to the tag. Then if you want to change box contents you can just mix around your tags. No big deal. And I promise you that the sticky does not ruin your boxes if you want to take them off.

This system has worked wonders for us. It helped teach my daughter to pick up toys much better, because she understood where they go either by the color or the picture. Not to mention if she wanted to play with her ponies she would go get that box out. Then before she got something else out I could try to get her to put that box away before getting a new box. It has helped with not getting out every toy that she owns...some days. I'm also one of those anal people that like things just so (see: obsessive compulsive tendencies) and when you have friends over and the kids trash the place it's easy for them to help you put toys away in the places that you like so that you don't have to go around reorganizing it all the minute they leave...not that I ever did that. ;)

This toy organization system works for me!!

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