I’ve been asked many times to write a post about stylish storage ideas for hiding toys. I’ve hesitated because I’m no expert–just a frustrated mom trying to keep up and often grumbling along the way. I definitely do not pride myself on organization, but I’m willing to share what I’m doing in our home to (somewhat) keep my sanity.
rug source // storage boxes (similar)
Keep small pieces in pretty containers. When my kids were going through a Jenga phase (in our living room) a few weeks ago, I finally dumped the pieces in a blue and white bowl and got rid of the box. Any game with little pieces or crayons look better in something pretty if they’re going to be scattered across your coffee table anyway, right? I like to use blue and white bowls, pretty lidded boxes and wooden bowls.
Store games and art supplies in a grown up piece of furniture where they’re handy but hidden. Since I know they’re not going to run up and down the stairs to put their things away, I find it easier to just have “dump and hide” spots throughout the house. In our dining room/home office, for example, I use an antique chest to keep art supplies, paper, activity books, etc. While I think that shelves with storage cubes work great, I’d rather keep those in the playroom and use something with a little more character in the main areas of our home.
And along those lines. . . . Less sorting, more dumping. I’ve tried like you probably have to sort all of the crayons and Legos and blocks and markers and Lincoln Logs and Lite Brite pegs into separate bins/boxes/drawers/you name it. Ultimately, they all end up together and I end up mad that I wasted my time. So now I go with a more general dumping approach and use drawers and baskets and bins to corral all the things for quicker clean up. If they’re not sorted, not my problem. And guess what? My kids don’t care. Why should I?
Free reign on one space. I know this suggestion will make some of you break out into hives so feel free to skip ahead. But. . . I’ve found it takes a little pressure off if you can just designate a spot to pretend you don’t see. It could be a single closet or an entire playroom. (And, sometimes it’s the entire upstairs. . .) Close the door and walk away. I’m sure this is not the advice you came here to read.
Style shelves with toys. Not everything has to be out of sight. In fact, some of the more colorful toys make really great props and/or bookends–especially the things they don’t play with that often or the special ones you want to save from total destruction.
See more of our playroom makeover here.
What do you do with the toys in your home?
I love these suggestions, Emily! Especially the jenga bowl! Our coffee tables are always full of little toy pieces. Why not a gorgeous bowl or box! I recently bought a beautiful antique highboy for my foyer. It holds hockey gear and jock straps for my three boys. I am in love with it and it does the job. Who says I have to have ugly storage?!
I love this. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only Mom who “dumps and hides”. But, I have five kids too! And sometimes organization takes a bit of a backseat to maintaining sanity! I also love that you hide stuff in beautiful pieces of adult furniture. Thanks for the great ideas!
Awesome ways to do things, especially for when my seven grandkids visit! (PS: Please be careful up there in Charlotte when the big rains hit from the hurricane.)
I laughed out loud at, “I’m sure this is not the advice you came here to read.” But I love that you’re real. I like the idea of tossing all the crayons in those wooden bins so the kids can see them and will be inspired to be creative. Our couches float in the living room, and I have two very large baskets tucked behind a couch to toss all the random toys that get left in the “grown-up” spaces at the end of the day. Last weekend, the kids dug through one and got so excited to play with a bunch of toys they hadn’t seen in weeks since they’ve been at the bottom of the basket. Now, how to train them to reach in and grab what they want without emptying the entire basket?
If you figure that out, let me know! :)
I have two giant baskets under a bench in our cabin. One holds all the Duplo; the other holds a bin of Lego, a wooden box of crayons and markers, and a stack of coloring books. Somehow, my grandkids keep it pretty well organized. I agree on the ugly vs pretty storage. Who wants to see neon colored plastic?!
Thanks for sharing these ideas. I have twins also – one of whom has special needs so having a living room that looks nice is challenging when many decorative things are too fragile/dangerous.