10 Best Organizing Tips for Playrooms

The playroom. The bane of our existence. On one hand you want it to be neat & orderly, on the other hand you want the kids to be free to "express" themselves in there. What to do?

Don't worry - with just a bit of planning both can happen. 

So - without fanfare - here's my list of the

10 BEST ORGANIZING TIPS FOR PLAYROOMS
 taa daa ( well, maybe a little bit of fanfare!)

1. Install an entire wall of cubbies. Shelves will work, but cubbies work better. Easy & cheap wire cubbies, the kind you can get at Costco or any big box store. They come in flat square grids, you bang them together with a rubber mallet. And you can do it yourself without any help. Buy as many as you think you will need, then buy more. The goal is to get an entire wall covered, floor to ceiling. The beauty of these is that they are easy to move around - and collect NO DUST! 
2. Big toys - put one in each cubbie. If you want to really go all out, take a photo of the toy, punch holes in the photo & use paperclips to hang the picture on the cubbie. This way your kids and any guests know where everything goes.
3. As the kids get older, swap out the photos with names of the toys. Helps foster reading skills.
4. Small toys - put like with like. A plastic bin of blocks, a plastic bin of people. Put one bin per cubbie, and be sure the bin fills up the entire cubbie. Ikea makes some good sized  ones.
5. Get a large wood box for big, awkward things, like Nerf guns. Then put wheels on the bottom of the box so it can be easily rolled out of the way. Ikea again for this one. 



See the wheels on the bottom?

6. If you have a closet, install laundry baskets in there like this for large sets like trains, race cars, etc. (Can you tell I have all boys?)  



There are 4 baskets in the closet.

7. If you have too many toys and not enough cubbies - rotate the toys. Pack up whatever doesn't fit, put into deep storage, and 6 months from now bring them out. It will be like Christmas all over again for your kids. Put the previously stored toys out, pack the old ones up into deep storage. There's no reason that all the toys need to be out at the same time.
8. Get a drop leaf table for when you need table space for puzzles, etc. Fold it up when you need it, fold it down when you don't.
9. Get a tall laundry basket, box, something that you can put stick type toys into - hobby horses, extra long Nerf guns, swords etc. into. Put this in a corner so it's easily accessible, but out of the way.
10. Decorate with your kids art work. Paint funky frames directly on the walls at all different angles, and tape your kids art work inside. Looks great, easy to swap in new pieces, cheap, easy to paint over once the playroom morphs into something else.   



The red jagged line & black dashes are painted on the wall. The green & red & white strips are the artwork. It says Tommy in some funky way.

Make it easy for the kids to use, and easy to put things away and you all win!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”  http://www.socialmoms.net/forum/topics/hot-wheels-wall-tracks


 be organized.....evelyn