Is organizing your home part of your resolutions this year? After Christmas there is no shortage of toys, books and other kid’s items in our home. It can be a bit overwhelming to have stuff everywhere, so I want to show you how to organize toys in the family room, without giving up style or function.
1. Start with some inspiration.
I always start with an inspiration board, or at minimum an image of what I ideally would like my space to look like. Figure out the colors, furniture, style you want your space to look like.
2. Create a plan of what you want to PURGE and STORE.
STORE: items to keep and organize
PURGE: items to giveaway or throw away
Here’s the list of items I needed to store:
- books
- puzzles
- big blocks
- wooden train tracks and trains
- cars
- balls
- small toddler board books
- magna-tiles
- photo albums
- electronic toys
- homeschool supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils)
- stuffed animals
- diapers and wipes
3. Plan HOW to store items.
Measuring out your space allows you to figure out how much space you have, and what items you may need or want to purchase. This is a good time to decide how much your budget will be. With 3 young kids in our home that enjoy drawing on our furniture, I did not want to spend a lot of money on cabinets or built-ins. After lots of searching, I purchased the following at IKEA:
[You can find out more info here on this blog post on how to plan for your IKEA trip].
I organized items based on kid height first. All kid toys, books, etc. are placed within reach for them to get on their own. Anything that would need adult assistance, I put up on the upper shelves.
Find decorative storage bins, totes or baskets to hold your items.
This is where you can get creative to make your space feel more like your style. There are so many options when it comes to storage bins, and so many retailers to choose from. My favorite options: Target, World Market, IKEA, Amazon and Home Goods.
I went to Target and purchased the 13″ Decorative Coiled Rope Baskets for the top row, I love that they have the faux leather handles. For the bottom row, I purchased the BRANAS rattan storage cubes from IKEA.
4. Add the finishing touches to decorate your shelves and space.
I also purchased the following from IKEA:
- KLÄMMEMACKA to store all art supplies
- TJENA magazine holders to store homeschool booklets and other books
- MALA paper with holder
I also added a mix of real and faux plants from Target.
I also purchased this Ombre Seagrass Amelia Tote Basket with Lid from World Market to hold stuffed animals