Keeping Kids Toys Under Control

Helping your children keep toys under control is a great way to maintain an organized home without losing your sanity. Simple fun steps can be taken to help teach your children how to keep their loved toys under organized and under control.

• Ask your children which games are their favorites. Afterwards take their favorite toys and place them on the shelves in their rooms. Keeping your children involved in organizing their favorite toys helps them understand you care about what is important to them.
• Find trunks, cabinets, or bureau chests that you no longer use and paint the furniture with bright colors adding an extra decorative touch to your child's room, playroom, or den. Invite your children to help you paint or decorate your furniture with stickers. This is a great way to spend some quality time with your children. You may find your children will want to keep their toys in the proper places once you and they have spent so much time painting and decorating the new homes for their toys.
• Flat storage tubs with lids can store easily under beds or inside closets. The storage bins can store books and toys very easily and neatly.
• Reward your children when they place their toys in the proper locations. Perhaps a healthy snack or cookies and milk might help your children feel compensated for a job well done. Everyone likes to be recognized. Children love it!
• Do your children enjoy playing in several rooms in your home? Do you have a basement your children use as their own play area besides their rooms? Keeping some toys in the rooms your children often play in can help you and your children keep the toys under control in baskets or storage bins. The baskets or bins can be kept inside a cabinet, closet, or shelf.
• Keep control of your children's toys by putting a task on your calendar every three months to check in on your kids' toys to make sure they are still organized and under control. Letting your children know when you are planning to check on their toys may give them the incentive to organize their toys before you do your inspection.
• Do you have games that may have outlived your child's age group? Place these games in a special pile and let your children know that some fortunate child will now receive a cool game due to your child's maturity of letting his or her game go. Take those games and give them to a neighbor, church, or charity.

Keeping control of your kids' toys under control may be easier than you thought. Additionally, having your kids give you a lending hand may help your children learn the value of organization at an early age.