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How To Organize A Playroom—Nifty Ideas To Create An Awesome Space

how to organize a playroom

Play is a critical factor in healthy child development. 

Healthy play encourages cognitive, emotional, and physical skills. It fosters curiosity and confidence, which serves kids well when interacting with the world around them. That’s why creating a fun, creative, and easy-flow playroom for your little one is important.

A playroom is perfect for young children to play, explore, and imagine. Here is where your little one truly gets to be themselves. 

They can enter new worlds, develop their skills, and let their imagination run wild, all while staying in the safety and familiarity of the home. 

A great playroom doesn’t mean the biggest space or a room filled with the most expensive toys; a great playroom facilitates fun and exploration and is organized well. 

In this article, we’ve included several ways how to organize a playroom to optimize the use of storage space and the overall functionality of the room.

How to organize a playroom

The playroom is where you’ll keep toys, art supplies, books, and other items that facilitate play and imagination. 

Remember that kids tend to be messy, and the playroom can quickly become cluttered and disorganized without the right organization tools. 

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to keep a playroom organized and maintain a fun, playful, and explorative atmosphere.

How to organize toy room storage

Toys are one of the main features of the playroom, so it’s important to organize them well. 

Kids tend to be messy and may not yet understand the value of maintaining a tidy space. 

You can teach them about tidiness and personal responsibility by facilitating easy organization and storage.

how to organize a playroom

Playroom storage ideas

Easy playroom storage ideas include:

1. Storage bins

Storage bins (or storage baskets) are fantastic space-savers and a practical, versatile way to organize a playroom. 

You can use different sizes, shapes, and colors and code each, so that specific items go in a particular box. 

For example, one box is for plush toys and stuffed animals, another for hard plastic toys, and another for themed toys such as animals or characters. 

Using different bins for different types of items and labeling them makes it easier for your little ones to find and tidy away their toys. 

Labeling is just one organizational tool. You can also use transparent storage bins so your little one can see what’s in each box.

You don’t have to spend a lot on storage bins. High-quality storage bins are usually available at a low cost. 

Opt for large wicker baskets if you don’t want to use plastic storage bins. These can add a nice, calming touch to the room.

2. Shelves

Shelves are another excellent choice for playroom organization and storage. You can use shelves of different heights and depths to store books, toys, and supplies. 

Higher shelves are great for storing messier toys, such as art supplies or jigsaw puzzles – best used under supervision. 

Lower shelves work well for toys and books to which you are okay with your little one having easy access.

Regarding shelving, you have several options – attaching shelves directly to the wall, using a cabinet with built-in shelves, or using a free-standing shelf piece. 

Free-standing shelves are usually cheap and easy to move around or store away when not in use.

3. Wall hooks

An often-forgotten room storage option is the wall hook. This storage option is perfect for hanging clothes, costumes, wall art, or hanging room décor. 

If your little one likes to dress up and play in costume, then wall hooks offer easy access to their favorite outfits and make it easy for kids to put things away when finished.

You can also frame your little one’s paintings and drawings and hang them on wall hooks to acknowledge their efforts and encourage further artistic play and exploration. 

Hanging kids’ art on the playroom walls is a fun alternative to the fridge and offers much more space!

4. Toy chest

A toy chest or trunk is a bigger version of a storage bin and can also double as a bench. 

Check for safety hinges if you use a large chest or trunk. These storage units may come with a heavy lid, which can lead to injuries if kids drop the lid on their fingers.

Safety hinges prevent the trunk from shutting until the hinges are adjusted.

5. Art station

Gather easels, paint, paper, crayons, brushes, and other art supplies to encourage your little one’s artistic side. 

An art station is a perfect addition to any playroom, but allocating a specific space for your young Picasso’s artistic endeavors is essential. 

A poorly defined art station may lead to paint and other messes around the room that may be difficult to clean.

Allocate an art station and keep all the art supplies in, on, or under it.

6. Reading zone

A reading zone is one of the essential parts of the playroom and is a great way to keep all the books in one place. 

Create a comfortable area with cushions, blankets, good lighting, a small bookshelf, and a selection of your little one’s favorite books

Reading is essential for young children, so adding this space to the playroom helps you organize the room and also helps you promote reading and literacy skills in your little one.

How to organize toys

Toy storage is an art form. Designing a fun toy storage system is a puzzle for adults and a satisfying one. 

You want it to flow, have a purpose, and be simple. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to develop a completely original toy storage plan because we’ve got some of the best ideas and advice below.

how to organize a playroom

1. Label boxes

Labeling boxes is one of the most efficient and clever ways to operate toy storage.

Creating categories is challenging, so choose items that tend to go together.

2. Maintain a toy rotation

We want our little ones to have as much fun and joy as possible regarding playing time. However, sometimes kids accumulate many toys, especially when they get new toys from several family members every Christmas or other holidays. 

Toy count can increase quickly, and you may be stuck trying to keep them organized. The last thing you want as a busy parent is to spend your days organizing toys. 

Effective toy storage frees up time and space so you can take care of everything on the day’s to-do list!

A toy rotation is a great way to save space, keep the playroom tidy daily, and deal with the ‘too many toys’ problem. 

With a rotation, only a few toys are accessible at a time. This reduces the choice of toys for kids to play with, which may seem bad, but it’s not. 

Fewer choices mean kids will spend more focused and imaginative time on each toy or game. 

In addition, too much choice usually leads to easy distraction and way more mess.

3. Hidden storage

You may not always have time to organize and tidy everything every day. Encourage your little one to clean whenever they finish playing, but use hidden storage options to make it easier for everyone. 

Furniture with cubbies and drawers is a great way to quickly hide away toys until you have to organize them better.

4. Repurpose furniture

If you have bookcases, chest boxes, or cupboards that are no longer used, use them for toy storage. 

A large bookcase (especially one with cubbies and drawers) can store most of your little one’s toys in a single unit, making storage easy, fun, and mess-free.

5. Rolling storage carts

Rolling storage carts are an easy and versatile toy storage option. These units typically feature stacked shelves or drawers made from lightweight materials, making them incredibly easy to move around the room or the house. 

They make for efficient storage options when the playroom is not definite – i.e., when the play area sometimes changes between rooms. 

They’re also excellent for parents and kids who occasionally rearrange rooms to change things!

6. Let go of old toys

Many habitually hold onto old toys for sentimental value or to avoid upsetting our little ones. However, if you’ve got broken toys in the playroom that can’t/won’t be fixed, get rid of them. 

Toy clutter is frustrating and makes it hard to keep an organized playroom.

How to decorate a playroom

Once you’ve got a clear idea about playroom organization storage solutions, start thinking about how you will design and decorate the room.

A well-decorated playroom can make this space productive for learning and creativity. 

Some basic playroom decoration tips include:

  • Use bright, pastel colors on walls
  • Cover flooring with easy-to-wash mats and rugs or another flooring that is easy to clean
  • Combine storage and decoration options (match the color of cabinets with other primary colors in the room)
  • Hang art made by your little one on the walls
  • Include pictures of the family around the playroom
  • Get creative with walls by installing a chalkboard wall or painting flowers, waves, or other kid-friendly themes on the wall

Decorating the playroom is one of the underrated joys of being a parent. When you combine storage and decoration to complement each other, you’ll get a deep feeling of satisfaction. 

Knowing that your little one has a well-organized, beautifully decorated space to play and be themselves is a feeling unlike any other.

Conclusion

Organizing a playroom doesn’t have to be complicated. 

Kids and parents alike can enjoy freedom from messy toys and clutter by utilizing storage containers, shelves, wall hooks, and repurposed furniture to make taking out and putting away toys as simple as possible.

Note that poor playroom organization can disrupt children’s creative play, so store toys in a way that adds an element of flow and ease to the playroom. That means clear labels, functional spaces, and an easily accessible storage system.

Good luck organizing your little one’s playroom, and enjoy these early years (they go by fast!)

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