Your child’s playroom can be both fun and functional. Here’s how…
Simplicity rules – Keeping it simple is key when it comes to playroom organisation. Your aim is create an uncluttered, stimulating space that’s easy to maintain. If it stresses you out, then it will more than likely stress your kids out too. Stay on top of rooting out toys that are no longer being played with (donate these to charity), toys with missing parts or broken items. Getting into the habit of decluttering regularly will save on space – not to mention, prevent a lot of headaches.
Get down to their level – Who is this room for? Little people, of course. So keep things low to the ground for easy access. Get down to your child’s eye level and put his favourite toys within sight. Besides, bins, containers and shelves that are too tall can fall over and hurt someone. If wall shelves are more your height than theirs, have them lowered. Also, anything that’s ‘too high’ tends to be ignored or forgotten.
Clever containers – Playroom storage doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate; it just needs to be smart. Invest in a mix of small, medium and large see-through containers, so little eyes can quickly spot what’s inside each one. Slide-out bins will help save on space and provide easy access, while some containers can double as seating. Use wall storage for a clutter-free floor – think pegboards, shelving and/or cubbyhole systems. Watch out for lids that need to be raised as they can be heavy for little hands and also catch fingers when they close.
Smart labels – Labelling storage containers is always handy, but what if your child can’t read yet? The answer is to use pictures instead. Use clip art images with the word underneath. You can label according to colour too. This works especially well with Lego pieces, where each bin can be allocated a colour: ‘red’, ‘blue’, ‘orange’ etc, with the word printed in the colour it represents. Or assign each child their own colour to help them separate their personal toys (for instance, Jack has the clear boxes with the big red stickers and Hannah has the yellow ones, so their things get packed into their respective containers during clean-up time).
Clean up together – Clutter may start out small, but it usually snowballs into a full avalanche. Turn tidying up into a game and get the kids to help. They will soon see how fun it is to be able to see and find all of their toys quickly, plus they’ll learn to put one toy away before playing with another.
More helpful tips…
• Paint a wall with chalkboard paint and let the kids draw to their hearts’ content.
• Hang a shoe organiser on the wall or back of the playroom door for easy access to Barbie dolls, art supplies or anything else that will slot nicely into the pockets.
• For a child that loves books, create a reading nook or library wall within easy reach. A window seat can provide storage and offer a cosy spot to curl up in. Or place a bench between two bookshelves.
• Four identical cubes on wheels can be slotted together as one big square to work on and/or rolled away and separated so each child can have his or her own workspace.
• Display kids’ art quickly and easily with clipboards mounted on the wall. Or frame selected pieces to create a playroom ‘gallery wall’.
• Got a set of old (or even vintage) suitcases? Keep dress-up clothes inside them. Or hang the princess gowns and pirate attire on a portable clothing rail for easy access.
• Run magnetic strips along a wall to hold toy cars.
• Place a big plastic bowl in the centre of the ‘arts and crafts’ table for crayons and pencils. When the kids are done colouring, they can simply toss them in together, without worrying about finicky pencil cases.
• Rotate toys so that the kids don’t get bored. To make toys and books ‘new’ again, pack some away and swop them out in a few months’ time.
• Mount a toy net (or hammock) in a corner of the room to house stuffed animals, balls and other lightweight toys.
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