How to Organize Your Kids Toys
At Ryan Dicharry Construction, we are currently planning our next round of Showcase Homes to be built in St. John Place in Thibodaux. The first floorplan we decided on is the Old Maple, one of the homes you can see on display at La Belle Maison, a community of homes in Raceland LA. This outstanding home is ideal for families and it should be ready in early 2020.
The Old Maple home design has 2,937 square feet with four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a loft on the second story, which makes a perfect playroom for kids. This means you can contain some of the inevitable kid clutter in the loft, out of sight of the rest of the home. However, no matter how hard you try, kids’ toys migrate and keeping them organized can be a challenging task. Here are some tips on making this daily challenge a little easier.
First and foremost, you’ve got to go through your kids’ toys. You may want to wait until they’re out of the house if they have a hard time letting go, but it’s important to get rid of the toys that are broken, out-grown, or just simply ignored. If there are toys that you’re not sure about, put those into a separate pile and go through them with your kids and try to make them be realistic about whether they’ll play with them again and encourage them to donate those toys to children who aren’t so lucky.
Alternatively, if there are toys that your children don’t play with as often, but still pull out occasionally, try putting them away on a higher shelf or in a storage bin. If they request any of those toys, they can go back into regular rotation. Otherwise, donate them. In general, it’s a good idea to try to rotate your children’s toys to keep them new and interesting. Consider keeping a separate area for certain toys that’s like a lending library and let them exchange a couple of toys each week. Ultimately, any toys that are consistently ignored can be donated.
Once you’ve thinned out the numbers, make sure all of the toys have a designated place to go when they’re put away. You can always get bins to hold specific types of toys, such as Lego, Barbie, costumes, etc. If necessary, with multiple children, create bins for each child’s toys. Make a nightly ritual of having your children go through any rooms and pick up their toys, putting them in the appropriate bin.
Ideally, try to keep the toys limited to their bedrooms or a loft playroom or a section of the family room. When it comes to areas like the family room, you’ll still need storage that complements the room, but is accessible to the kids. Hollow ottomans are great alternative toy boxes, especially for larger items. For smaller toys, look for decorative baskets that either have lids and can be kept in a corner or next to a chair, or choose smaller ones that fit on the bottom shelves of bookcases. If your home design allows for it, look for decorative trunks or vintage suitcases that can be arranged stylishly in your home, while also serving dual purpose as fun toy storage.
Even with dedicated play rooms, toys manage to work their way throughout the home. After all, kids want to play and spend time with their parents. Encourage them to play, but also encourage them to clean up after themselves and be honest about when they’ve outgrown toys. Homes like the Old Maple, whether you’re looking for homes in Raceland LA or in Thibodaux, are great at giving the whole family space to spread out and have fun. If you’re interested in the new Old Maple home being built on a premium lot at St. John Place, check out the Dicharry website today to learn more about how this new home could be yours!
CATEGORIES: Design Tips, Finished Homes, New Home Tips, Organization Tips, Things To Do