If it was up to me, I’d throw away most of my kids’ toys.
Not because I don’t want them to have them, I just can’t stand clutter and their TOYS ARE EVERYWHERE. I’m not talking about the bigger toys like the dollhouse or fire truck. I’m talking about toys from birthday party treat bags, kids meals, holidays, school functions, those little, cheap toys that are everywhere that our kids love so much.
The junk, that’s what I want to get rid of.
But the truth is, those are the toys my kids like to play with the most. Harper loves to fill a bag or bucket full of those “treasures” and carry them around the house. Elliott hides them under her pillow, in all her jacket pockets, and behind furniture so she’ll never be more than a few feet away from one of them. They were taking over my house.
Until.
Until I decided to buy some inexpensive under-the-bed storage containers (like this one
While cleaning out the girls’ rooms (I do this about every three months and make the girls donate things they no longer need and throw away things that are worn out), I threw in every little doll, car, magic wand, bouncy ball, animal, and pretend camera I could find. All the little junk, ALL OF IT, went into two Tupperware containers.
And when we were done, we closed the lids, shoved them under Elliott’s bed, and they magically made my children’s rooms seem cleaner. There’s less stuff everywhere. And, best of all, my kids LOVE it.
Having all their junk treasures in one place has opened up worlds of play they never dreamed of. They get in one of the containers, make a giant mess, and then throw it all back in when they’re done.
This didn’t take long, didn’t cost a lot of money, and is something that the girls have been maintaining for about six months at this point. So it’s not a good idea that only sounds good, but it’s actually been good for our mess. It’s working and it’s making things just a little less cluttered at the Graham house.
What do you think? Is this something that you could benefit from at your house? Any other ideas for all the little, random toys that kids accumulate almost daily? And don’t say the trash can, because I fantasize about that one enough as it is.
Love this! Totally implementing this soon. Great for smaller homes that don’t have a downstairs designated playroom!!
Exactly! We have a smaller house and don’t have the luxury of a playroom.
I really, really need to do this. All of those little toys end up in the bottom of the toy box and then I get asked constantly to help find them.
Ugh, I know it exactly what you mean. Try it out and see if it helps! It’s been so successful at our house.
Yes! We have been using some under the bed boxes for doll house things and farm animals and it has been wonderful! A shallow container allows the kids to see most of the toys at once…and the added benefit of not being tall enough to allow the box to be used to climb something higher!