Smart Storage for Kids Toys
We live in a pretty small home for our family of 5. So kids toy organization is a constant challenge. We’re still trying to pick up the pieces after the tornado of Christmas and Birthday toys hit us. I’m all about utilizing vertical storage and wall space (as you can see in my DIY wall book display). I decided to make some wall storage for Sawyer’s sea of LEGOs, too…
DIY Wall LEGO Storage
Wall LEGO Storage Supplies:
- curtain rods (I found mine on clearance at Target.)
- S hooks (I got mine from the local hardware store.)
- plastic buckets or bins with handles (These are from The Dollat Tree.)
- white paint marker
What I did:
- Install curtain rods onto walls.
- Use the white paint marker to label the bins. We labeled ours with “Bricks,” “Flats,” “Figures,” “Bionicles,” “Car Parts,” and “Everything Else” for our categories (inspired by Rachel’s DIY LEGO Table organization at Sun Scholars).
- Sort, sort, sort!
- Hang buckets from the curtain rods using the S Hooks.
So far this hanging wall LEGO storage system is working great for us. It’s easy for Sawyer to see everything and take down and put back his buckets by himself. And I even think his LEGO creations are more creative, too! Now, let’s see what smart storage tips our creative mama friends have…
12 Smart Storage Ideas for Kids Toys
1. Group Like Items Together – “I am probably an over-organizer, but I like to know where everything is. I hang their clothes in color order (light to dark) and from short sleeve to long sleeve and casual to fancy. It helps me visualize an entire outfit, which makes things quicker in the morning. For toys, I rely on labeled storage bins and always keep similar toys together so the kids know exactly where to put them back after taking them out (e.g., music toys together and dinosaurs in another bin). With books, I just make sure everything is accessible at all times, so bookshelves and open bins are handy. I even organize the books by category like animals, fantasy, branded books, etc.” Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom
2. Try A No Toys in the Bedroom Rule – “We don’t keep any toys in Goblin’s bedroom. That is a place for rest and sleep so we have a few bed time books and his clothes and nothing else. That’s how he likes it. If he takes a toy up to bed he usually asks us to take it out before he goes to sleep.” The Monko from Taming the Goblin
3. Use a Clothesline for Dress-Up Clothes – “We have two clotheslines hanging along a wall where we hang dress-up hats, gloves, odds and ends, and small outfits (using clothes pins.) For the bigger costumes, we hang them in the closet right next to it. They can find what they want quickly and it is off the floor.” Sheila from Pennies of Time
4. Baskets, Bins, & Containers, OH MY! – “My friends and family pick on me because I’m a little obsessed with baskets and bins. I have a container for everything. We live in a small home with very few closets, so most things are out and visible, but if they are grouped in a cute basket or bin, they somehow look better. I find lots of cheap containers at dollar stores and thrift stores.” Krissy from B-Inspired Mama
5. Hang Plastic Storage Bags with Binder Clips – “I have one book shelf where all kids’ books are at the lower racks, next up are the writing stuff (papers, pens, markers, pencils,etc.) and paints on the top shelf. I have a clothesline on the wall on which hanging are binder clips with ziplock bags carrying all odd and small materials like poms, pipe cleaners , paper scraps, odd beads, buttons etc something like this. For bins, I prefer transparent ones so my girl can see what’s in them.” Roopah from Putti’s World
6. Start Teaching Clean-Up Young – “We have toys in plastic bins/ boxes with lids so they stack. From a very early age I encouraged the kids to put things back in the box before they pulled out too many other toys. It was also great when they were younger to be able to rotate some of the boxes into the cupboard at times so that there were less toys to play with and the hidden toys were like new toys when they reappeared!” Tonya
7. Use A Plastic Drawer Organizer – “This week I reorganized the LEGOs into plastic drawers. I found some at Bunnings (an hardware chain in Australia) where the drawers slide all the way out. So now they can just pull out the drawers they want to play with then slide them back in when they are finished.” Tonya from The Crafty Mummy
8. Steer Clear of Pricier Kids’ Storage Products – “I wanted to buy the cube storage too but found the ‘toy’ ones a bit pricey. Found some inexpensive cube bookshelving and lay it on its side, added a few baskets and presto, the same thing but less expensive.” Debs from Learn with Play at Home
9. Use a Coat Stand & Laundry Basket – “A good way to keep children from leaving clothes on the floor is to get them a hat/coat stand and a laundry basket. If the clothes are dirty they go in the basket and if they can still be worn, they get hung on the hat stand. Rehanging in the wardrobe can sometimes be too tricky for kids but if we get them in the habit of picking up off the floor early on, hopefully it will become more natural to them later on.” Debs from Learn with Play at Home
10. Shop at Thrift Stores, Dollar Stores, Target & Ikea – “I just posted about organizing manipulatives last week with my KBN series! My favorite 4 places to get storage bins, listed from lowest to highest price are: recycled containers, $1 store, Target, and IKEA.” Becky from This Reading Mama
11. Rotate Toys – “First off, I use a toy rotation so only 1/3 of his toys are out at a time. This really helps to keep things organized. The toys that are out are in bins that I bought from Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store. I bought cheap spice racks at Ikea to use as bookshelves and I love them!” Amanda from Dirt & Boogers
12. Give Yourself a Break, Mama! – “We have the cubes and the baskets that go in them for books and toys. When I had one kid I was super organized. All short sleeves shirts together and long sleeves. All toys by theme together… Now with 3 kids I am happy to have the toys off the floor and the laundry out of the basket!” Jaime from Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails
What are your smart storage solutions for your kids’ toys? Share in the comments below!
Maggie says
Now, that is my kind of Lego storage 🙂
My husband and I have a combined collection of a few thousand Legos which our 5 & 3 yr olds have enthusiastically inherited. I tried so hard to teach them to keep the figures separate from the wheels from the little pieces to the…..etc to no avail. It’s a hopeless jumble.
Perhaps color coated buckets will do the trick? It’s worth a shot. Thanks for the inspiration!
Jen says
Love these ideas for storing toys, you can never have too many of them! Ideas, not toys 😉
Krissy @ B-InspiredMama says
Thanks, Jen. I know; we definitely have too many toys. LOL
Chrissy says
Lego is a toughie – I love your storage idea for keeping everything in its place!
Krissy @ B-InspiredMama says
I know – I hemmed and hawed forever before finally settling on this organizational method. It’s working pretty good so far!
Amy says
We all love legos, but don’t love the storage / organization! Fabulous work, Krissy! So smart!
Amy
Ana says
Love this idea for Lego storage!
Krissy @ B-InspiredMama says
Thanks, Ana. It seems to be really working for us so far!
A says
I love these ideas! My son received Legos for Christmas, and I have to admit that I’m a little overwhelmed by them. I originally organized them, but I think that’s what is driving me crazy. Do you find that your son actually separates them back out when he puts them away? I like the buckets idea, but I think I won’t designate specific Lego parts for each one–just, if it’s a Lego, throw it in! 🙂
Krissy @ B-InspiredMama says
Well, it’s still sort of new for us. But so far, he’s really pretty good about putting them back where they belong. I think the key is that with them sorted, he makes less mess. Because he’s not dumping out and digging through to find what he wants as much. We’ll see how it goes. Good luck, Mama!
Twodaloo says
What a great post! Lots of good advice here! I’ll be sure to refer to this throughout my giant de-cluttering project I’m currently working on!
Krissy @ B-InspiredMama says
Thanks, Stephanie! I hope it helps. 🙂