Do you also feel annoyed after stepping on a Lego brick in the middle of the night or early in the morning? Then you know, it is a house with kids and their toys that practically take up the entire place. You know that kids' toys can be a problem. They are not just messy; they can also be dangerous. It feels like toys have a way of moving from one room to another on their own. You clean up the toys. Then ten minutes later it looks like a toy store exploded again. The secret to keeping your home tidy is not to get rid of all the toys but to find a way to organize them that kids can understand. If the system is too hard for kids to follow, they will not use it. You will end up doing all the work. Here are five smart ways to keep your home organized and clutter-free.
Use the Toy Rotation Strategy
Kids' toys can be overwhelming when there are many of them out at the same time. Kids often get confused by many choices and they end up dumping all the toys on the floor just to find one thing. Try putting some of the kids' toys in plastic bins and storing them in a closet or the garage. Every week, swap the old kids' toys for the new ones. This helps keep the house clean and makes the kids' toys feel new and exciting again.
Use Low Shelves and Clear Bins
If you want kids to help clean up, they need to be able to see where the kids' toys go. Tall bookshelves are hard for kids to reach, so use shelves with clear plastic bins instead. When kids can see where the blocks or the dinosaurs are, they do not have to dump out all the bins to find what they want. This makes cleaning up much easier for kids.
One-In, One-Out Rule
As birthdays and holidays come, the number of kids' toys just keeps going up. To keep the clutter under control, follow the one-in, one-out rule. If a new toy comes into the house, an old one has to go. This is a way to teach kids about keeping things simple and the value of giving to others, and it ensures that your storage bins never get too full. Giving makes kids happier.
Designate No-Toy Zones
It is okay to set rules in your home. Decide which rooms are for relaxing and which are for playing. For example, maybe the living room and the kitchen are no-toy zones after 6:00 PM. Having a place like a small basket in the hallway, where kids' toys go at the end of the day, helps keep the adult spaces feeling like adult spaces.
Use Labels with Pictures
If your kids are not reading yet, labels on the kids' toy bins will not help much. Instead, use a label maker to print a picture of what belongs in the bin, like a picture of a doll, a car, or a block. This makes cleaning up a game. When the instructions are visual, you spend less time trying to figure out where things go and more time enjoying a tidy room.
