Spring Organizing with Great Day Connecticut: Playroom

Week 3 of our Spring Organizing Series, as seen on WFSB-TV’s Great Day Connecticut.

We shared several of our projects with Great Day Connecticut as part of our Spring Organizing Series collaboration to showcase how we organize main living spaces in the home. Watch part one and part two of the segments below, to see how we organized the space along with our best tips and tricks that apply to any home. In Week 3, we’re touring the playroom.

Playroom Organization

In Week Three, we’re taking you through the kids’ playroom to talk about our philosophy on these heavily used (and often messy) spaces, a good place to start and prevent overwhelm, how to get your kids involved in the process without sacrificing your goals, and tips on containment and labeling, plus how to avoid the “clutter creep”.

Getting your playroom organized is not about perfection. We always remind clients that regardless of whether or not your child’s space is organized, it will get messy. In fact, messes and the ability to explore and play in an uninhibited way are an important part of a child’s development, and so organization is not meant to be in contrast to that. Rather, it’s meant to provide containment and categorization that brings order back into the space when that play is done, and also so that things can be continuously found and used again with ease. With strategic space planning and straightforward systems, simple organization can be really impactful in these spaces. Here are our top tips:

Start Small

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of getting your playroom under control, start by decluttering & editing just one category— whether that’s stuffed animals, cars, or dolls. Begin by discarding aside any toys in the designated category that are broken or have missing pieces, then move on to removing things that are no longer age-appropriate or things that are no longer played with to be donated.

Get Kids Involved

We think it’s important to get your children involved in the process. You’re giving them the opportunity to maintain ownership of the process while still being able to get the results you’re looking for. Naturally most children are glorified hoarders, but don’t get discouraged if there’s initial pushback. We have found that providing them with clear boundaries can help guide the process. For example, “You have 13 stuffed animals, pick out your favorite 10.” Also, sharing where their items will be going (i.e. those three stuffed animals are going to someone who doesn’t have any stuffed animals) and not simply thrown in the trash may bring some encouragement. We never recommend throwing away something secretly, or forcing your child to get rid of something.

Containment and Labeling

Our go-to solution for storing playroom supplies is a cubby system or open bookshelf that can accommodate a variety of containment. Categorized and labeled bins will make a huge difference, but kids will struggle to find and put things away if bins are out-of-reach or overstuffed, so keep bins low and loosely filled. For general toys, we like to use fabric or other natural material baskets; something soft and light with an open top. For arts and craft supplies, we love using canisters and small plastic bins for functionality and durability. Labels will help direct your child, and broad categories are key. We suggest using labels like “wheels” (instead of “trucks” and “cars”) and “friends” (instead of “animals” and “people”). Early readers may benefit from images next to the label. This not only helps them identify where each toy belongs, but they’ll learn the words too.

Continuous Editing

Once you’re organized, remember to edit regularly to prevent the clutter from building back up and becoming overwhelming. No system can combat excess toys, so make an effort to pare down kids’ items. We suggest editing before/after birthdays and major holidays that you celebrate where you experience an influx of toys.