If you have kids, you have toy organization and toy storage issues. It is just that simple! More kids, more toys. Today we are sharing some of the best toy storage ideas and genius organization for toys many of which I have used in my own home over the years and gleaned from other parents. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty of how to organize toys.
Kids Toy Storage Ideas
I have spent the last week trying to “spring clean” and organize kids’ toys in my three boys’ room and play room. It is quite a challenge because when I emptied the rooms into the hall to do a full room scrub-down, I was shocked at how much was packed inside. No wonder things didn’t fit. I didn’t have enough toy storage!
Toy Organization Starts with a Toy Purge
We have gone through all the toys and given a LOT of toys away, but there are still favorite toys they want to hang onto and things they play with regularly packed back into small living spaces.
Toy Storage Organizer Ideas for Home
Struggling with my children’s room has prompted me to do a search for ways to keep toy clutter under control. I have included some of my own toy storage solutions as well as some of the best toy organization ideas I found. Every family has different needs and kids have different toys.
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Best Toy Organizer solutions
1. Ikea Hanging Rod With Baskets for Storing Toys
So smart! Ikea is a great place to get started when you are looking at toy storage. Use a tension rod with hanging baskets and plastic bins to keep all the tub toys together and ready to dry. Once I hung the Ikea hanging rod with baskets I didn’t have to worry about foam letters and rubber duckies being everywhere.
2. Kids Tool Chest for Treasure Storage
This is one great idea I use in my own home. Each boy has a treasure tool chest and is in charge of what is inside. They can put all their treasures inside the tool toy chests — trinkets, toys, rocks, or whatever. It helps keep all their little things in one area and off the floor. They have their own individual toy storage bins with a handle so they are portable and they live in their room on storage racks purchased from a garage storage section.
–>Buy garage storage shelves and tool chests here
3. Laundry Basket Shelves Keeps Toys Tidy
Yes! Yes! Yes! Drawers are so over-rated when it comes to clean up. Laundry basket shelves are so awesome and there is so much more room. Basket shelves are great for toys, for clothes, linens, honestly, I want to put these in the kids room AND my room. Genius toy baskets! And don’t overlook a mesh laundry bag too!
4. Shoe Organizer Works Great for Small Toys
I have been using shoe organizers to keep my house in order for years. My family uses them for seasoning, medical supplies, that stray puzzle piece, shoes of course, but now we can use them for toys! Love this great option from Pinterest to place dolls in a back-of-the-door shoe hanger in your own hanging shoe racks .
–>Buy over-the-door shoe organizer here
5. Toy Storage Drawers Hide Under the Bed
Cute! Toy storage drawers for under the bed is an amazing way to organize toys without taking up a ton of space! This is genius for both storage and play. My boys would LOVE it.
–>Buy under the bed storage here
6. Kids Desk Organizer for All Those Little Things
Coloring supplies are great for quiet time and quiet play, however, they get everywhere. Pencils, markers, crayons, in every room. That’s why this kids desk organizer is perfect. Get your little reader on this today and let them build their own LEGO pencil holder to keep track of all their art supplies.
–>Buy wooden desk organizer here
Toy Storage Organizer ideas for stuffed animal storage
7. Stuffed Animal Storage…Oh So Many Stuffed Animals!
Oh my cuteness! My little kids need one of these adorable triple decker stuffed animal storage hammocks perfect for corralling even the largest stuffed animal collection. Having stuffed animal storage will keep beds from being overwhelmed and your child can still easily get and see all their favorite pals hanging in multi level toy hammocks.
–>Buy stuffed animal storage hammocks here
8. Cart Crate for Outdoor Toy Access
I love these wooden crates got wheels and a whole new toy-storing life for home storage. Cart crates are perfect for keeping the toys picked up and the best part is, it has wheels so you can move it to any room.
–>Buy this 2 set of wicker storage baskets on wheels here
9. Chain Gang Storage
I had these growing up! We hung them from the ceiling and then used the clips to hang up our stuffed animals! Now you can have them too! Chain gang storage. It is a simple hanging system to clip smaller animals together and let them take up a tiny bit of space instead of a big heap!
–>Buy chain storage system here
Toy Organizer Ideas for your outdoor spaces
10. Outdoor Toy Storage
Outdoor toy storage is important too! Use shelves to keep together the bubbles and chalk as well as balls and jump ropes. One of the major challenges of outdoor toy storage is that all the toys come a different sizes! From tiny chalk pieces to big riding vehicles. Make parking spots to keep bikes and toy cars orderly and out of the yard. What a great way to get your yard cleaned up and your garage sorted.
11. Toddle Play Station for Ease of Play
I’ve done this! An outdoor toddler station is a life saver. Get all the outside toys outside and keep them outside, but outside toys can be trouble to keep in control, but this is the perfect way to both store and play with things you NEED outside in their own toy storage units!
–>Buy outdoor toy organizer here
12. Backyard Organization for Toys
Floaties, pool noodles, swim toys, chalk, jump ropes, bikes can quickly overtake your yard and pool area without the proper storage space. Luckily these backyard organization ideas can help keep your yard in order and toys put up.
–>Buy outdoor rattan deck box with openable doors here
13. Toilet Paper Roll Cubbies Store Hot Wheels & Matchbox Cars
Save your toilet paper rolls! Recycle with this TP craft that turns into a great Hot Wheel garage with cubbies for toy cars from Frugal Fun 4 Boys and Girls. How awesome for a kid’s room providing the perfect place for easy access to toy cars.
–>Buy toy car storage display that looks like a tire here
14. Board Game Storage for Gamers
Because we have so many board games, I’ve had to find a better way to store them. And I found the best board game storage! The games the kids play the most can now double as art. Oh and that isn’t all…the pieces are behind them so you can still play with the storage boxes.
–>Buy 12 x 12 or 16 x 16 board game frames here
15. Hot Wheels Display Case
Hot wheels are fun, but storing hot wheels is not child’s play!t The toy cars tend to be underfoot. Well, not anymore with this smart kids toy storage solution. Having a hot wheels display case is not only cool looking, but amazing toy storage. Pure genius.
–>Buy Hot Wheel storage shelves here
16. Toy Truck Storage
Dump trucks! Monster trucks! Cute, sturdy, and fun to play with, but take up a lot of space. However, now they won’t with this really fun toy truck storage. To stay organized sometimes you need to do a little extra work, but fret not it is easy to make this to make a several level “garage” for those big rolling trucks…that I have a ton of!
–>Buy peg board storage kit here
17. Alphabet Box for Alphabetized Storage of Toys
Did you toy storage could also be educational? Yeah, it can and I think it is the best thing ever. Alphabet boxes work as drawers with letters on the front and you place the toys that start with that letter in each box!
–>Buy hardware cabinet storage here
More Organizing Tips To Keep Your Home In Order
- Need even more ways to organize your child’s toys? Look no further, we have plenty of toy organizer ideas.
- Bathroom organization ideas for children’s bathrooms to best benefit them and make it kid-friendly.
- Board game storage can seem a little difficult, because it always feels like you’re playing Tetris. But, storing your board games and card games can be super easy.
- Live in a small home or an apartment? No worries! Check out these toy storage ideas for small spaces.
- How great are these ideas for shared rooms?
- Need ideas for toddler and baby sharing room? Check this out!
- Do not be overwhelmed with trying to organize your home! We have some fun organizing ideas to help you declutter.
- Here are some great ideas for shared rooms.
- Looking for more life hacks to make life move a little smoother?
- Organize your baby closets and baby nurseries!
- Need help with hot wheels storage? We got you!
- Don’t miss out on these genius moving tips!
- See these school organization tips!
- Wondering how to store your board games? Click here for 12 of our ideas!
I know that some of these toy organization ideas will work for you no matter the room of the house the toys are collecting in – kids bedroom, living room, family room or play room.
How do you organize your child’s toys? Do you have any awesome toys storage tips you can share?
Toy Organizer FAQs and recommendations
Keeping a playroom or a child’s bedroom tidy can sometimes feel like a big puzzle. I’ve got some fun tips to help you out!
Using Bins and Boxes: These are like magic boxes where you can put your toys when you’re done playing. You can use different boxes for different toys. Like a box for cars, one for dolls, one for puzzles, and so on. This way, it’s easier to find your toys when you want to play next time.
Shelves are Super: Shelves can be your best friends! You can use them to put your toy bins or boxes. They help you use the walls to keep your toys, and that means more space on the floor to play.
Buckets of Fun: Hanging buckets or having them handy on shelves can be great to store smaller toys. You can grab them and take them when you are playing with those toys and then easily put them away.
Under-Bed Storage: Check to see if your bed has space underneath! If so, you can use that to put some flat storage bins with toys. It’s like a secret hideout for your toys!
Toy Hammocks or Nets: These are great for soft toys. It’s like they are floating in the air. Plus, they don’t take up much space and can be layered with multiple levels of toy storage.
Furniture that Hides Toys: Some furniture, like a bench or a table, has hidden space inside.
Remember, the secret is to find a place for every toy. When every toy has its own home, it’s easy to keep the room neat and clean. Plus, it can be fun organizing them. It’s almost like playing a game of hide-and-seek with your toys!
Start with finding a place for every toy and using some of the secrets outlined above. Then use the “one toy in, one toy out” method for keeping toys under control. If each time a child receives or chooses a new toy, they are donating an old toy to charity, the room will always have enough space!
While having a lot of toys sounds like fun and games, there are some drawbacks that you might want to consider…less really may mean more:
Cleanup Time: With a lot of toys, cleanup can feel like climbing a huge mountain. It takes longer and can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Tough Choices: Imagine being in a candy store with so many candies to choose from! It’s hard, right? Same with toys. Having a lot of toys can make it hard to choose what to play with.
Less Space: A lot of toys can take up a lot of space. This could mean less room for other activities like drawing, doing homework, or even just running around!
Value of Toys: When there are a lot of toys, sometimes it can be easy to forget how special each one is.
Overwhelm: Just like adults can feel overwhelmed with too many things to do, kids can feel the same with too many toys. It can be hard to focus on playing and having fun when there are so many options.
So, having a lot of toys isn’t always as fun as it sounds. It’s like having a big bowl of ice cream. It might sound good at first, but too much can give you a tummy ache. Just like that, having just the right amount of toys can be the sweet spot!
While toys are loads of fun and great for learning, having too many toys can sometimes be overwhelming for a child. Too many toy choices can make it tough to decide what to play with, and an excess of toys might stifle a child’s creativity, making them less imaginative. A large number of toys can also lead to more messes and may result in each individual toy feeling less special. So, although it might seem like more toys equal more fun, sometimes less really can be more, leading to more imagination, more value for each toy, and overall, a better play experience.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Toledo in Ohio, which was published in the journal “Infant Behavior and Development” in 2017, looked at the topic if kids are really happier with fewer toys. The study involved toddlers and showed that when young kids are provided with fewer toys in their environment, children engaged in longer periods of play with a single toy, allowing for better focus to explore and play more creatively.
This does not mean that all toys should be removed, but the study does suggest that an environment with fewer toys can lead to higher quality playtime. So, there seems to be some evidence suggesting that fewer toys might make for happier, more creative kids!
I love this toy organizer idea! It’s so helpful to have all of the toys in one place so they’re not scattered around the house.
One of my favorite toy organization ideas was based on the Hot Wheel shelves mentioned above – it was a little larger shelving unit that housed toy trains. what fun toy storage ideas :).