Welcome to Day 5 of the 10 Days to a Tidy House Challenge! A few days ago I shared a crazy idea that I had with you guys: decluttering and tidying up your house in just 10 days. (You can read more in the introduction to the challenge HERE.) It must have struck a chord with several of you, because I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response! So, thank you for joining me. I’ll be posting pictures and lists of the items I’ve decluttered on my Facebook page throughout the challenge. You’re welcome to follow me and share your own experience as well!
Today’s challenge is a big one, which is why I made it a Friday challenge so that you could use the weekend as needed. We are going to tidying up ALL of our kids’ books and toys. Gulp. Are you ready?
Today we will:
- Gather, sort, and organize books
- Gather and sort toys
- Decide on a toy organization system that works with our family philosophy
Gather, Sort, and Organize Books
First let’s focus on the books. After yesterday, you should be a pro at this!
1. Gather ALL the Books
Find all of the kids’ books that you have. If you’re like me, they may be over the entire house. We have a small bookcase in the living room for library and church books. Then we have a bigger bookcase in the kids’ room. And yet, there still seem to be books scattered around everywhere!
2. Sort Into Three Piles
Once you have all of the books together, you can make (at least) three piles:
- Books to Keep–These are books that your kids really enjoy right now, classic books that they will enjoy for years to come, or a few books that are above their reading level now but will be good for a challenge.
- Books to Save for Later–You might have a few books that aren’t at your children’s current reading level. Maybe these are board books that are now too young for them but you would still like to keep for future children. Perhaps these are books that are too difficult for them now, but they will enjoy them in a couple of years.
- Books to Donate–If the books are no longer read and are not ones that you want to save for later, it’s time to let them go. This can be hard to do, but remember–we’re decluttering here! You can try to sell them on eBay or Craigslist if they are in good condition (books tend to sell best in lots). Or, you can donate them to another family, a charity (like a homeless shelter where kids may stay), or a Little Free Library.
3. Organize the Books
I mentioned that we have a couple of bookcases around the house that have a specific purpose. You may wish to do the same. You could have a bookcase in the living room for read alouds the whole family enjoys and a shelf for library books. I find that having a designated spot for the library books keeps us from having late fees!
You can also have a small bookcase for each child and, depending on their age, allow them to help organize it. Kids tend to enjoy tidying up when they feel some ownership of it. Or, you might organize by reading level, by genre, etc. Find a system that works for you, and that is simple enough the rest of the family can do it without your help.
Gather and Sort Toys
Now for the part that fills many with dread. It’s time to tackle the toy clutter. Deep breath. Here we go.
1. Gather ALL of the Toys Together
Take a laundry basket (or a wheelbarrow!) around the house and collect all of the dolls, Legos, puzzles, and other items that have found their way into every corner of your house. We are taking back our house!
2. Sort the Toys into Four Piles
Now that we have this mass of toys in front of us, it’s time to tame the clutter. Make four piles:
- Toys to Keep: These are toys that get played with all the time. This pile can also include classic toys like blocks, Legos, dolls, puzzles etc. that will appeal to multiple kids.
- Toys to Save: If you have a toddler who is past the teething toy stage, but you are pretty sure you’ll want to add to your family someday, save these toys for later.
- Toys to Donate: This pile will include toys that are in good condition but no longer are played with. Now that my youngest is 2, we’ll be donating all of our baby toys.
- Trash: Broken toys, cheap plastic Happy Meal toys, puzzles without all the pieces, etc. Why do we hang on to these? Put them in the trash bag and throw them into the trash can right now.
Decide on an Organization System that Fits Your Family Philosophy of Toys
You may be thinking: A family toy philosophy? Why in the world would we have one? Hear me out.
In your ideal house, how many toys would you have? What kind of toys would they be? How would they be stored? What attitude toward them would your kids have?
We have decided to have a “minimal toy” philosophy. We want our children to play with classic toys that challenge them to use their imaginations and interact with each other. We also don’t want the toys to overwhelm their room so that they don’t have space to create. Finally, we want our children to be grateful and thankful for the toys they have and not to expect a new one each time that we go to Target.
Now, there are obviously times when our philosophy and our actions don’t line up. But at least we have a goal that we are aiming for. In keeping with this philosophy, we try to purchase (and encourage family members to purchase) toys that aren’t single use and that inspire creativity. We also try to limit the amount of toys that they have out at any one time.
So, I started a toy rotation system. Basically, I divided all of the toys into 3 groups. Then, I placed 2 of the groups into boxes in the basement and kept 1 in the room. Every few months I rotate the toys. The kids feel like they got brand new toys and are very excited and grateful; however, we don’t add to the toy clutter. Again, this doesn’t always work out perfectly, but it has helped dramatically reduce clutter.
As you decide on a toy organization system that fits with your philosophy of toys, here are some articles that might interest you:
Why I Took My Kids’ Toys Away (& Why They Won’t Get Them Back) by Living Well, Spending Less
5 Simple Ways to Cut Down on Toy Clutter by Money Saving Mom
Today’s Action Items
To review, here are today’s action items:
- Gather, sort, and organize kids’ books
- Gather and sort kids’ toys
- Find a toy organization system that works with your family philosophy of toys
That’s it for today! Join me on Monday for Day 6: Tidying Your Papers.
See you then!
Catch up on the Challenge
Day Two: Tidying Up Your Clothing
Day Three: Tidying Up the Kids’ Clothes
What is your family philosophy of toys? Do you have a rotation system? How do you organize toys? Leave a comment to share your ideas!
Hey Sarah! These are great tips! I will definitely be getting a bookshelf for our living room. It never occurred to me until I saw all of Eli’s book covering our coffee table. 😉 Also, you are on to something with the rotating toys.. I haven’t consciously done that yet, but I just cleared out my car of a bunch of toys that hadn’t been looked at in months since I put a DVD player in there. And, I took the bag full and set it in one of his play areas. And, guess what?! Voila! It’s like he got a bunch of new toys! One little Leap Frog laptop he’s been carrying around everywhere. 😉 I think it’s time to get a couple new storage boxes. 🙂 Now, we just need a basement to put them in.. haha! They don’t have those in Florida! =P
Oh this was a tough one! We have SO MANY books, I did manage to donate a few but kept and reorganized the rest. It’s been a challenge, but awesome! Good timing as I’ve brought my 2 oldest girls into the same room. Looking forward to next week!
Good work, Jeniece! Books are the hardest for me to part with. Which is probably why I’m a reading teacher…… 🙂 Next week has some lighter days (and a couple of heavier ones!). Tomorrow we’ll tackle papers. Definitely the one that I need the most!
This couldn’t have come at a better time. Both of my kids were sick this past week, so it was the perfect time to go through all the toys and give them a “bath” before putting them away. I still need to go through the books, but the toys are now germ-free and organized!
Good call on sanitizing all of the toys while you were sorting. I totally should have done that!