A few months ago I shared my No Sew Basket Liners and made reference to a new kiddo toy arrangement plan I have been trying out. Today is the day I will be sharing that new method of toy play with my Living Room Toy Storage project. Let’s talk about the plan now!
This post may contain affiliate links. See full disclosure here.
I think we’ve all said it at some point, “the toys seem to multiple over night”. It’s hard for most of us to keep tabs on all the toys our kiddos collect. And I’m learning, as my kiddos get older, their toys have many small pieces, which in the blink of an eye are scattered all over the entire house. And then I step on them. And then I squeal in pain. And then I decide we need a new toy plan.
Each morning and afternoon, if I sense the kids are getting restless, I pull out one of my lovely no sew baskets and presto; to them it seems like something fun and magical to play with, when in fact it’s just their old picnic basket play set. Or their Three Little Bears dress up puzzle.
I have found that keeping a majority of their toys up-
1. keeps the mess minimal
2. keeps them entertained MUCH longer since the toy seems new
3. really encourages them to use their imagination.
So that I could quickly scan and pull out the appropriate toys, I added these super adorable Martha Stewart self adhesive gold bookplates to the baskets. They were a simple press and stick!
We have two bookcases and I keep their baskets on the upper two shelves in our living room. So, we have four baskets filled to the brim and then I’ve hidden a few other in various places in our home. (since I’ve written this post, I’ve added three additional baskets to our bookcase.)
I’ve been surprised at how actually taking away a large portion of their toys, has increased their imagination and excitement when I get down a few things here and there.
So, far this new Living Room toy system actually seems to be a success.
Do you all have any toy tips for keeping interest in current toys and minimizing clutter? Share away!
I like the idea of keeping some of the toys out of reach until they seem to need something else to occupy them! I may have to see if I can incorporate this into our toy system. Thanks so much!
Great tips! My main toy control technique is that my kids have to keep the majority of their toys in their rooms. We have four baskets in our family room. Any toys that don’t fit in those baskets have to go upstairs at the end of the day. It tends to keep things kind of under control downstairs at least.
I just love that fabric!! And I love this idea… We always have toys laying around the living room. I have a few bins that we put things in but they are not as cute as these!
Such a good idea! I really need to do something like this for our living room. It’s a mess! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic idea at Cook it! Craft it! Share it!
My kids are teens and pre-teens and I still use baskets to corral their junk…lol. Although yours are much nice than mine 🙂 Thanks for sharing on Link’n blogs.
The toys look so sophisticated in the baskets. Nice! I’m also a serial Goodwill donator. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Love this! I keep some stuff out of reach for the same reason, but could probably stand to do more of that. It seems to help things stay with like things too which makes them more fun to play with. These are some great tips and I love the no sew baskets! Thanks for partying at The Makers Amy!
Corey @ TinySidekick.com
this idea is great! my little one loves puzzles and they’re always everywhere in the house, this would be perfect for him.
Great post and I can totally relate. We have way too many toys and they do not play with most of them. I like your baskets and how neat they appear.
When my oldest was a toddler I kept two tubs of toys. Every month I switched them out. He thought he was getting new toys, and they kept his interest for the month. Then I’d switch them out again. I never had more than one tub’s worth to clean up at a time. Now that there are three of them, and the maturity level of the toys vary, I try to just make the big kids’ toys stay upstairs, but the bookshelf is downstairs.