I took a swing at organizing and compressing the massive volume of toys in our home for the FIRST time in 8 years since having children. This will also be the first time that their toy kingdom will be purged of broken toys in 8 years. Eeeek. So how do I start?
I surveyed my children's toys and researched how toys are classified by toy companies. I also browsed some parents' websites to learn how they have successfully conquered and ruled their own toy kingdoms. Conquering and ruling my kingdom needed serious strategic and tactical planning. I have narrowed down my children's toys that they OCCASIONALLY play with to the following classification, since they'll be stowed away in container boxes:
- Logic - puzzles and alphabet toys
- Shapes & Sizes - shape sorters, stacking and nesting toys
- Construction - building blocks, train systems
- Pretend Play - toys for cooking, carpentry, and playing doctor
- Group Games - board games and party games
- Puppets - finger puppets, miniatures, dolls
- Tech Toys - battery-operated toys like toy laptops and walkie-talkies
- Arts & Crafts - beads, clay, jewelry-making sets, watercolor, paint
- Stuffed Toys - everything cuddly & fluffy
- Sports - balls, bowling, rackets
- Musical Instruments - toy guitars, pianos, violins
- Toddler Toys - rattles, small soft toys
The toys were originally housed in just 2 plastic containers boxes. But over the years, these toys took on a life of its own and started growing geometrically as our family grew from 3 to 5. With almost 9 huge plastic container boxes, 3 medium-sized ones and probably a dozen or so of smaller containers, it was a riot to find a missing toy. And so the first step was to CONSOLIDATE to get rid of the smaller containers. I tried to find a way to stack the plastic container boxes in such a way that they can still access the ones at the bottom (so they won't have to ask me to lift the boxes), which turned out to be impossible. Until the LAW OF ATTRACTION led me to these Orocan Window Containers that opened at the top and also at the front that I found at Puregold Supermarket! Yey! I had to get them in several batches though, since they only kept 2 pieces on-hand and these pieces were not available at SM Department Store, Ace Hardware, True Value, or other smaller Puregold branches. These container boxes are just PERFECT for what I need, and it even has a provision for locks. I locked the boxes with cable ties for toys I've already sorted so that they can be separated from the messy pile and eventually unlocked all of them when I was done.
I observed that my babies' QUALITY OF PLAYING was so much better when they toys are grouped together, instead of just having an assortment of odd toys. They now have access to all cooking toys or all the building blocks or all the animal toys. They enjoy playing together when they have a theme for their pretend play like running a restaurant, a supermarket, or a school. It now works like a library system where they need to return the toys they borrow before borrowing a new set. The labels I designed also have small images of what these toys look like to make it easy for everyone.
For the toys that are FREQUENTLY played, I decided that these should be kept in a more accessible area. I went on a search for these colorful bins I saw online. I found a dark brown one at S&R which was around P4000++ so I decided to hold it off. And as opportunity would have it, I saw a similar bin for sale at Mandaue Foam for only P2000++ in beech color, which was exactly what I was looking for! Hooray for the power of visualization! Being the obsessive-compulsive organizer that I am, I used my handy label printer to print out the categories and stuck them on their assigned bins. I use Brother P-touch Label Printer with laminated adhesive tapes which I purchased from Office Warehouse that come in different color combinations and stick it on the tubs of the toy bin I bought from Mandaue Foam. Labelling the bins makes it easy for my babies to pack away their own toys after playing.
This system makes it easy to organize the new toys that are coming in as gifts. I still have miles to go in purging old, broken toys since my babies are still feeling some separation anxiety with the toys we have unearthed during this organizing process. I will let them enjoy it for now and they can let go when we go for another round of clean-up. So for the moment, I am the reigning Queen of Toy Kingdom!
#DomesticGoddessMNL