How to Organize Kids' Play Spaces
- 1). Consider your child's personality and interests. If your daughter likes to paint, prepare an area with paper, paints and an easel and put down a plastic floor cover. If your son likes to have friends over to play board games, put them on a shelf that he can safely reach. See 74 Organize Kids' Rooms.
- 2). Set up activity centers. A block or Lego area needs a flat surface to build on (a hardwood floor or tabletop) while a game area should contain comfortable seating (floor cushions, beanbags). Set up painting easels on linoleum floors for easy mop-up.
- 3). Store according to age. Younger children like open bins on low shelves or the floor for easy cleanup and storage. Older children can use drawers, underbed storage, shelves, pegs and pegboards, but items should still be within easy reach.
- 4). Avoid using large toy boxes as a catchall. What is out of sight rarely gets played with. Sort toys into groups (dolls, dinosaurs, plastic food) and then stash in smaller baskets, bins or boxes.
- 5). Label everything. Use photos of items (cut from magazines or printed from Web sites) for labeling young children's toy bins. Children who can read can create stickers with a label maker (see Xyron.com), cut words from magazines or print labels from a computer. See 57 Live Better Through Labeling.
- 6). Have containers around the house for easy pickup and transfer. Even if you have a separate playroom, toys will invade your entire house (and car). Do a quick cleanup each night and take the toys back to the play area for proper storage. This is a great chore for kids. See 17 Streamline Your Morning Routine and 18 Organize a Chore Schedule for Kids.
- 7). Organize outdoor toys and equipment so you're ready to go at a moment's notice. Use a large basket to store balls, mitts and bats. A bucket can hold sand toys--add sunscreen and you're ready for the beach (see 47 Prepare Grab 'n' Go Activity Bags).
- 8). Enforce cleanup rules and consequences. Learning to put things away and stay organized takes time and practice (even for grown-ups). Children need adult help to learn new habits, so be consistent with expectations and routines. Remind kids that keeping their play space tidy is not a chore, but a way to make playtime more fun.
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