How to declutter your kids' toys and encourage more creative play

If you’re fed up of hearing “I’ve got nothing to play with” or “I’m bored” even though your child has hundreds of toys, you'll also be pleased to hear that the same study found having fewer toys encourages children to play more creatively¹ and with a greater focus due to being less distracted.

Plus, when toys are organised clearly and in a way that a child can access themselves they're less likely to need your input to start playing well or feel like they are overwhelmed by choice.

It can be hard to know where to start with a big toy declutter though, and it can often feel like an overwhelming task, so we spoke to professional organiser Katrina Hassan founder of Spark Joy London, about how to streamline your kids' toys and keep them that way, as well as how to set up a successful Montessori-style toy rotation system.

How to declutter kids' toys

Take it one step at a time

You don't have to get all the toys out in one go and bombard yourself with decisions that will leave you feeling stressed and overloaded. Instead take it in stages starting with a Marie Kondo-style systematic sort. "Depending on how young your children are (under 10 is ideal) you can complete a wave 1 joy check for them," says Katrina. "Go through items when they’re not there and pass on / recycle any items that you know don't spark joy for them anymore.

"As a general rule, never say goodbye to an item your child will miss. You don’t want to abuse their trust. If you feel like your child will ask where something is, it's better to involve them in the decision making process for these items."

Show your children decluttering is fun

"KonMari™ is a positive process," says Katrina. "Instead of focusing on how much we want to get rid of, the focus is on the items we want to keep in our lives which we love, the things that ‘spark joy’. For children, I call this process the ‘happy check’.

"Don’t be disheartened if they don’t want to part with things at first, just be consistent in providing the opportunity for them to complete ‘happy checks’ on their toys, posing the question ‘does this item make me happy?’. Use this time as a chance to teach your child that there are children less fortunate whom they may wish to pass on some items to. Try to involve them in the visit to the charity shop, as it’s beneficial for children to see the ‘exit strategy’ in operation."

Break the job down into subcategories

If you don't have much time on your hands, it's a good idea to take on one category a day. Doing this will also help you to see if your child has a glut of one type of toy and help you organise them more successfully once you've decluttered. Katrina suggests decluttering and sorting by following this list:

1. Duplo
2. Lego
3. Trains & track
4. Marble Run
5. Magnetic Tiles
6. Puzzles & Games
7. Animals & Figures
8. Building blocks
9. Baby toys
10. Vehicles
11. Soft toys
12. Large toys
13. Electronic toys
14. Dress up
15. Beach toys
16. Outdoor toys/sports gear
17. Random!
18. Miscellaneous - party bag toot & unsubcatergorisable tat!

Decide how many toys is right for your family and stick to it

"Each parent has to decide on their own target number of toys, which best fits the needs of their child(ren) and the ability to give each item a home," says Katrina. "Having a designated space for toys is ideal and this places a limit on how many your child is able to keep.

If more toys enter the house via birthday presents, family members or hand-me-downs, it's important to remember how many toys you decided to keep in the first declutter and throw out old toys to accommodate any news ones and maintain the equilibrium.

"Be extremely mindful about what you allow to enter your home in the future. Use birthdays and Christmas as a prompt to revisit the category of toys to see if there is anything your child wishes to pass on," says Katrina.

Overcome your barriers to decluttering

If you've tried to declutter before but found the process stressful then it's time to work out what's stopping you and why. Common barriers include thinking your kids will need something in the future, fear of hurting someone's feelings if it was a gift, being sentimental about items, guilt at spending money on something that hasn't been used and unrealistically thinking you'll get round to selling unwanted toys.

"Positive decluttering is all about rooting yourself to the present moment and aligning this with your vision for the future," says Katrina. "In the KonMari Method of tidying, sentimental items are saved until the very end of the process because that is when your decision-making toolkit and confidence has been refined. By asking yourself ‘does this spark joy in my child?’ over and over again, you will feel empowered to make confident decisions about sentimental items when that times comes."

"When it comes to gifts, let go of any sense of obligation or guilt – it’s now your choice about whether this item deserves a space in your home. And let’s be honest, how many times have the people who gifted your child the item actually asked to see the item they bought them at a later date?" says Katrina.

And, if you've got a pile of toys "to sell" gathering dust in the corner or cluttering up a room, then it's time to assess how valuable they actually are to you. "When you come across an item you to intend to sell, consider how much money you make an hour in your professional life," says Katrina. "Apply this value to how much time it takes to post the item on a website, follow up on messages from potential buyers, packing the item up, taking it to the post office etc. Does the money you gain from selling the item equate to how much money you would make in your professional life? If it does, then go ahead and sell it! If it doesn’t, think twice. Your personal time is valuable too!"

Get unwanted toys out the house straightaway

If children see a sneaky pile of toys in a corner that wasn't there before, they'll be at them in minutes and before you know it you'll be back to square one. Make sure toys are taken straight to recycling or charity as soon as you've decided they aren't staying.

"Charity shops always welcome toys, especially Fara, Oxfam and Barnado's" says Katrina. "Try connecting with local mums in your area’s WhatsApp group. You can also try using Olio or NextDoor to pass on items. Other options include local schools, hospitals, churches and your local fire station (they accept cuddly toys to give to children who have been involved in a fire or incident)."

Invest in practical storage

Once you have the toys you want to keep it's important to have a dedicated space to store them. Piles of toys in one cupboard, box or basket won't encourage children to play nicely as they can't see what they have. It's a much better idea to have some sort of unit or space to display them that also makes it easy for you and your child to put them away afterwards.

"Your child is entitled to have their own space to store their things, where they are undisturbed from the daily activities of the household," says Katrina. "You can’t go wrong with a KALLAX unit from Ikea!" says Katrina.

Consider setting up a Montessori-style toy rotation system

"After reading Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, I understood just how overwhelmed children can be when they have too many toys staring back at them," says Katrina. "He advises having no more than 12 toys out at one time. Why? Because children love novelty. Whenever we switch over toys, their interest is renewed, creating a new sense of excitement around playing. It will feel like Christmas when you bring out items from rotation storage!"

How to set-up a toy rotation system

A toy rotation system, favoured by the Montessori Method, involves storing some toys away out of sight from children and only having a select number of toys out at one time.

Every week/ month/ whatever frequency works for you and your child, you swap over the toys and choose a new box to replace the current ones. Toys need to be put into categories first to ensure this works, usually in clear plastic or labelled boxes with, for example, animals and small world figures in one box and building bricks in another.

The toys you have chosen to be out for your kids to play with shouldn't just remain in a box but be on display and easy to access so they can clearly see them. Open box storage is best for this.

The key to a successful toy rotation is sticking to it and being strict about the schedule – it won't work if you allow your children to constantly ask for new boxes. Tips for making it a success include writing on the diary when a changeover of toys is due to take place and telling children exactly how long they have left with the current toys before they go away for a while.

The system won't work for everyone as you'll need a storage space that children don't see/ have access to such as the loft, a cellar or a garage in order to store the boxes of toys not in the current rotation.

References:

1. The influence of the number of toys in the environment on toddlers, Carly Dauch, Michelle Imwalle, Brooke Ocasio, Alexia E. Metz, Infant Behavior and Development Vol. 50, February 2018

Pics: Getty Images