Organizing A Playroom

A child playroom is a wonderful thing.  It is a potential world of wonder.  It’s a place where children play and can become whoever they want to be.

And, it’s a place that can quickly become an organizational disaster.

What are some ways to organize a playroom?  Below, I’ve shared a few of my thoughts, tips, and tricks.  While I know that MY ways won’t work for everyone, I sincerely hope that these few ideas will help you to get started.

Kids usually LOVE having their own space.  If possible, providing your child with their OWN play room is a fantastic gift.  It provides your child a sense of ownership and some feeling of responsibility will (hopefully) accompany that sense of possession. So, let’s get down to business!

1.  Pick a room. Where do you want the playroom to go?  Pick a room/area that will work best for you.  Make a plan for the room.  Is this the place where EVERYTHING will go?  Will it be a “jungle gym” and reading room all in one?  Will you prefer to keep only toys in there?

Again, find a solution that will work best for you, and also one that your child will be excited about!  That leads us to the next tip…

2. Involve your children when you initially organize the playroom. This step is SO important.  It all goes back to that sense of ownership.  Ask them where they would prefer the blocks to go.  Point out advantages/disadvantages of different storage systems, toylocations, etc., and let them make decisions.  It’s also fun to put your kids in charge of playroom décor.  With the addition of a low-hanging bulletin board, they’ll love designing their own “posters” to hang!

3. Group similar items together. Keep the vehicle toys close together.  Have one spot for your play dough.  Grouping items that are alike is not only going to make it more aesthetically pleasing, it’s going to make cleanup that much easier!

4. Use labels and/or clear containers. I like to use the clear plastic 3-drawer carts that you can find at most retail locations.  They’re pretty cheap, and having the clear containers makes it VERY easy to see where things belong.   Labels can do the same thing, and if you have younger children, it can be a great way to teach them to read different words. (Insert erc-002-playroom-002.jpg)

5. Avoid bins. I think bigger bins are just begging for lost toys and clutter.  If you are going to use storage containers, the shallower you can make them, the better.  The deep bins, in my experience, usually lead to toys the kids can’t find, and different assortments of toys all jumbled together.

6. The last tip? Test it out!  Let your children know the expectations of playing and cleaning up, and see how it works.  Are they having a hard time reaching shelves?  Are they able to open the drawers to actually use the toys?  This was an issue for my younger boy.  The poor kid couldn’t open the drawers, and so his toys were rarely played with!  This problem was solved by us emptying out the drawers quite a bit more so that they weren’t as heavy, and he is now able to open and shut them with ease.

There you have it!  Now, what ideas do YOU have for organizing the playroom?  Feel free to leave a comment sharing your expertise.

Now, let’s play!

Evelyn Cox

©2010 Evelyn Cox/www.houseoforder.com