Kid’s playrooms are some of our favorite spaces to organize and style. In the following spaces, we used key organizing principles to create a calming hub for creativity, inspiration, and imagination for our tiniest of clients.
The secret? Less is more. Studies suggest that kids will find more opportunities to use their imagination when they have fewer toys at their fingertips. Curious to know our top tips for an organized playroom? Here are our go-to practices for sustainable playroom order:
TIP 1. MAKE BINS YOUR BESTIES
Clean up is definitely the number one frustration we hear from busy parents when it comes to playrooms. The right containers can be a game-changer for moving toys around from space to space while maintaining order. Small lightweight bins make it easy to tote items around while making clean up easy. We also love to get rid of bulky boxes, excess packaging, and advertisements, by transferring toys, puzzles, and blocks into smaller, streamlined containers. Cohesion is key!
TIP 2. USE LABELS, THEY’RE A LIFESAVER
Creating and reinforcing consistent homes for toys is a great way to teach your children the value of organization. Kids love collections, but without guidelines, they don’t always know where to put what. A label is a visual cue that reminds them that their toys are special and encourages them to learn the principle of “a home for everything.” Kids like to know where to find things, just as much as we do. Labeled bins, shelves, and boxes reinforce the fact that each toy has a home and keeps everyone else in check. Mindless cleanup? Yes, please.
Photo by Marisa Vitale
TIP 3. TAKE CONTROL OF THE TOYS
Let’s face it, some toys and crafts are just too messy with too many parts to keep in arms reach at all times. Pulling the toys and crafts that need “parent supervision” to store up high and out of sight can eliminate the constant pickup. It’s a simple way to keep the “uh-oh” moments at bay and save you time and energy. Take the time to think about which toys you want your children to be playing with and take back control. Encourage kids to play with toys that are age appropriate and great for their development. Make them accessible and low to the ground. We encourage our clients to use toy rotation for little ones and purge any toys that their children no longer play with.
Photos by Amanda Proudfit for Simply Spaced
TIP 4. COLOR CODE
This simple styling trick creates visual order to a bookshelf in minutes, but it also creates a cohesive system that anyone, especially kids can maintain. Color-coding isn’t just for aesthetics. It can create a system where no system exists, and it’s another teachable moment for parents. It’s also a great opportunity to gamify cleanup, because who doesn’t love a good rainbow?
TIP 5. ARCHIVE KIDS ART
Kids are creative! We get it. You want to honor their creativity, we get that too. But where do you draw the line? You cannot keep it all. The key here is to decide on a plan for preserving your children’s work, so you can feel in control and so the art doesn’t get damaged or forgotten in the shuffle.
Follow our simple, go-to system for organizing kids’ art if playroom creativity is a source of distress:
- Set up a school year art bin for each child for any new art they create. Set a limit based on the size box you choose. Don’t forget, you get each child for 18 years! How many boxes is that?
- Take a pass at editing throughout the year as the box fills up.
- At the end of the year downsize to only the most special.
- Create art books and let go of everything but the “standouts”
- Keep books on display and store the originals in a weathertight keepsakes bin.
TIP 6. CREATE A CURATED CRAFT ZONE
We’re not suggesting you limit creativity, we’re suggesting you limit supplies. We often suggest setting up a ‘back stock’ storage location for arts and craft supplies, while curating a collection of the essentials in a portable bin. The truth is, most people have far more colored pencils, crayons, markers, and paints than necessary in any one craft session. Setting up a ‘creativity station’ that’s streamlined and simple can save time, and money since too many supplies can lead to waste and clutter.
TIP 7. STYLE WITH KEEPSAKES
Incorporating keepsakes into the playroom adds a personalized, stylish touch. Counterbalance the onslaught of plastic overload that comes with modern toy collections with timeless materials. Think woodblocks, interchangeable photo frames for kids’ art, favorite memorabilia from your own childhood. Display the most beautiful, fun favorites, and store plastic items and overflowing collections in your labeled bins.
