You know it can be done. You have friends with children's rooms so cute, tidy and organized that you want to play there yourself. But your kid's room is so cluttered with toys, paper, crayons and boxes that you don't remember what color the carpet is.
Corralling the clutter is easier than you think, pardner. Start with the right toy storage furniture, add a dose of giddy-up, follow these five steps, and you'll have it roped in no time.
Step 1: Get Small
You've seen babies sit for hours happily putting shaped blocks into matching holes. Organizing seems like an instinct, so where did it go wrong?
If you're dumping all your kids' toys into one big trunk, try thinking smaller. Babies put little blocks in little holes, remember? You don't see babies putting all their blocks into one big box. That's no fun.
Small containers encourage kids to sort things out for themselves, to create systems and rules. Stackable boxes and storage cubbies with removable bins serve two purposes: they make sense out of putting toys away, and they limit playtime mess. With every toy in one giant toybox, kids have to empty the whole thing to dig out what they want. The room gets trashed, and cleaning it up looks impossible. With smaller bins and shelves, they can select only what they want and leave everything else in order. Set up stackable shelves and watch kids go to work. You'll be surprised how involved they get keeping track of favorite toys.
Step 2: Go Vertical
Stackable toy storage shelves let you organize a lot more toys using the same floor space as a single toybox. Stacking shelves allow colorful toys be visible without being underfoot. Shelved toys suffer less wear and tear than they do when they're at the bottom of a box.
Wall units and stackable shelves come in an impressive variety of colors and finishes. Mix and match. Some include pull-out bins that are perfect for holding small dolls, cars, and multi-piece games like Legos. Your tender bare feet will thank you.
Step 3: Think Like a Kid
Kids like to see their toys, even when they're not playing. Little tykes feel uncomfortable putting beloved dolls into big coffin-like boxes. Wall units offer a grand variety of shelves, cubbies and drawers in a dazzling display of open-air fun. Favorite toys park in plain sight, ready for action. Raggedy Ann will keep an eye on everything.
Encourage your kids to put the most colorful toys on the open shelves, and less snazzy stuff in bins. Watch how the wall toy storage unit transforms into a mesmerizing work of art. It's no coincidence that stores display attractive toys the same way.
Toy hammocks are another whimsical option. Hammocks stretch open to hold a den full of stuffed bears. The open weave is light and airy, and keeps those beloved bears in view without being in the way.
Step 4: Create Focus Groups
Kids are drawn to activity tables like bees to a flower garden, and for the same reason: when all the fun is concentrated and organized, it's more attractive. Activity tables organize pens, crayons, scissors, even sand and water into a focused fun area, helping the rest of the room stay clean.
No kid can resist butcher paper on a roll. Many activity tables include a spindle on one side for roll paper, encouraging little artists to use only the paper they need, be they little projects or grand murals. You will be forever liberated from the chore of picking up scattered sheets of paper, checking each to see whether it's a masterpiece or a blank sheet.
Activity tables with kid-height chairs are more comfortable than drawing on the floor or at a too-tall grown-up table. Your Goldilocks will agree: play tables are just right.
A hidden benefit of our activity tables: they can double as a coffee or accent table. Grandparents, for example, appreciate a play area that doesn't look like a daycare when no kids are around, and is gender-neutral enough for all the kids that come and go.
Kids are territorial, and need their own space. Parents would never consider cramming the family laundry into one dresser, but they often dump everybody's toys into one giant box, then wonder why a fight breaks out every time something goes missing or gets broken. You'll be amazed at the difference when you give each child his own storage area, with unique, personalized decorations. Most of our toy storage units are part of a matching collection, so each cowpoke can have an individual corral while still belonging to the family ranch.
Step 5: Remember It's For You, Too
Nothing is more discouraging than having furniture break right after you get it. The kid storage furniture we offer may cost a little bit more than the cheapest stuff, because it's built to stand strong even after hard use. Our exclusive line of toy storage units and activity tables are made with solid materials, strong joints and hard, stain-proof laminates are a far better value in the long run. They'll make your kids happy, and you'll be much more satisfied too.
Take this tip from an actual satisfied customer: "I really needed some toy storage for my grandchildren. I wanted something I could have in my family room that would look elegant and organized, not covered with cartoon characters. The Classic Playtime Low Activity Table did the trick. The quality on these items is superior to everything else I could find out there at this price, and can serve multiple purposes throughout the house. There really is no reason to ever get rid of this furniture."
