One of the hardest places for me to get and keep organized in my house is the kids’ playroom. I don’t care how many times I go in there and purge all the unused or broken or unloved toys, every day it still seems like we’re drowning in STUFF.
I have had to get pretty creative when it comes to organizing the playroom. I want it to be functional and easy for toddlers to be able to get what they need, but I also want it to look nice. Not too much to ask, right? Lately, I’ve been scouring the internet looking for some brilliant ways to organize playroom chaos. Here are my favorite ideas:
One of my favorite ways to organize a kid’s space is by using cubbies. You can see from this amazing play space that cubbies can hold canvas bins, books, big toys, stuffed animals or whatever will fit in that space. I personally love putting fun, colorful canvas bins in the cubbie holes so that clean up is a breeze: just toss the toys in, slide the bin in the hole, and you’re done!
Along the same lines as cubbies, crates can be used in the same way. I love the rustic look of them and how you can arrange them in a number of ways to create visual interest. I have crates on the walls of my son’s bedroom that act as his bookshelves. You can keep them natural, as in this image, or you can stain or paint them fun colors. They are relatively inexpensive and so versatile!
This mini-farmhouse table makes my heart go pitter-pat. I’m pretty sure this is going on my “to-build” list! I love having a small table in the kid’s play area because 80% of the time, my kids will want to color or draw or do puzzles and a table like this is the perfect place to do it! This particular table is not only adorable but it is super functional because it has a bucket in the center for colored pencils and hidden shelves under each end of the table for paper and other kid “treasures.”
One of my favorite ways to organize books is by using hanging shelves like these acrylic ones. I also love to use Ikea spice racks (I have some holding books in our playroom and in my kitchen acting as a plate rack display). Kids are more encouraged to read when they can see the covers of the books as opposed to only the spines. These shelves are not only great for organizing but I think the display looks beautiful! (And did you see that great use of crates with casters? Brilliant!)
My two-year-old son got his first “laser gun” from a dollar toy store recently and it’s now his favorite toy. He runs around with it yelling, “PEW! PEW!” I don’t think it will be long before he’s asking for all kinds of toy weapons. So I think this storage solution for an otherwise awkwardly shaped toy is awesome! Peg board and hooks are cheap and easy to find (Home Depot and Lowe’s for the win!). And you can easily pretty up a basic peg board with paint.
My daughter loves art. It’s her favorite thing to do. So we have a plethora of recent “masterpieces” to display on a regular basis. I think this use of curtain rods and clips is a brilliant solution, and it looks very neat and organized.
My son’s tiny metal cars are going to be the death of me. I find them everywhere and usually step on one at least once a day. I love this creative use of magnet strips to hold all the tiny little cars! Even the youngest of toddlers can learn to put his cars away by sticking them to the magnet strip.
My princess/fairy/dress loving daughter would go nuts over this beautiful dress up rack! There’s not a day that goes by that she doesn’t dress up in one of her many princess dresses so I often find them scattered across the room. This rack is a great way to organize the dresses and gives you an opportunity to teach your child how to put her clothes back on a hanger when she’s done playing (we’re working on that important life lesson now…it’s not going well).
I am a huge fan of repurposing vintage or antique items for use in everyday life. I love this use of an old soda crate! You can put all kinds of art supplies in the tiny cubby spaces and it looks adorable too!
These Ikea carts are AMAZING! I have one in my craft room holding all my fabrics and I have one in my daughter’s room being used as an art cart. I have organized all of her favorite coloring books, Crayons, colored pencils, markers, scissors, stamps and construction paper all on this little cart so that she can access it AND put it all away as much as her little heart desires.
I hope these ideas have inspired you as much as they’ve inspired me! Getting such an inherently messy space such as a playroom organized is definitely not an easy task, but it can be done. Try using some of these awesome organizing ideas to help organize your space!
Do you have a brilliant way of organizing kids toys? Tell me about it!
The Matchbox car storage is simply brilliant! Form and function at its best.
I know! Isn’t that clever?