Happy Monday!! Today I am back with our FINAL Clear the Clutter Challenge: Decluttering Kids Toys. Last month, we worked on arts and crafts supply organization. Thank you for hanging around for this series. It really has been a great way to get organized this year! I plan to show some updated organization pictures soon–so you can see which of our decluttering projects have held up and which areas require some tweaks.
>>Join the 2021 Clear the Clutter Challenge
How to Declutter Kids Toys in One Hour
In the meantime, I wanted to share ideas for you on how to declutter your kids toys in under an hour. Why only an hour? Well this is a CRAZY time of year, so it is hard to think about devoting a lot of time to organization. But more than likely, in the next few weeks, your children will be acquiring a lot of new things. So, if possible it’s time to clear out some toys, in order to make room for new ones! I recommend spending ONE HOUR to get rid of the “low hanging toy fruit”! Basically, it is time to address all of those toys you have thought about getting rid of but have not taken action on.
1. Get Rid of Toys & Games That are Broken/Missing Piece
The easiest way to start on this decluttering project is to gather up all the toys and games do not work or have missing parts! There is no reason to hang on to these toys anymore!!
2. Ask Kids to Find 8-10 Toys to Donate (or throw away!)
Sometimes it can be a challenge to get the kids involved in decluttering their own things! But, surely everyone can find a few things that they no longer want. Be open with what your kids want to get rid of, no matter how big or how small. Even if it was a small gumball machine toy or a few pieces of paper! The point is to get rid of all that extra stuff that is laying around!!
3. Look Under Bed and Couches for Old Toys
Chances are if you find things under the bed or a couch, it is nothing something that was that greatly missed. Maybe you’ll find a treasure or two, but get rid of everything else!!
4. Clear Out Desk and Nightstand Drawers
My kids are always throwing little toys and trinkets into drawers. These things are immediately forgotten about until the drawer is overflowing. Work on organizing this drawers later when you have more time. For now, it is just about getting rid of things! Drawers are easy targets to find things that are no longer wanted.
5. Look Through Dress Up Clothes
Next, take some time to go through your dress up clothes. You may find costumes that no longer fit or haven’t been worn. This is just another quick and easy way to get rid of things your kids do not need!
6. Books and Magazines
Lastly, another area to quickly address is the kids’ books and magazines. Check everyone’s bookshelves and find a book or two to donate! For inspiration on what to do with books and magazines head over to this post!
A few extra tips:
If you or your kids are having a hard time parting with items, than collect all of the things you are considering removing and keep them in a “staging area” for the next month. If the kids aren’t asking for them in a month, then you can now donate or throw away the items! More than likely, after the holidays, the kids will not be missing these things!!
It is amazing how quickly you can fill an entire garbage bag of STUFF! Perhaps, make that your goal to fill an entire garbage bag of stuff in ONE HOUR!
If you can not devote an hour, then break up the project into smaller chunks of time! Consider taking each one of these tips above and spend 10 minutes on each over a six day period!
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For more Kids’ Organization and Decluttering Tips, check out these posts
Decluttering Kids’ Toys in Less an Hour
LOVE the donation idea- definitely adding that to our To Do List- thanks Jaclyn!
Great tips! Sometimes when I ask my kids what they want to get rid of, they choose things that are sentimental to me! Ha!
Yes me too. It’s hard not to say anything in those cases!
These are great tips and perfect for this time of year. My youngest son was born three days after Christmas so we get DOUBLE toys this time of year. Parting with toys and organizing is a MUST! Thanks for sharing! Love your blog!
My daughter Chloe just turned 9 today and I think she is long overdue for a decluttering of toys! I definitely need to purge these toys that she no longer plays with. We will be donating them.
This is such a simple, but effective way to tackle kids clutter. My son just turned 1 and I feel like we have SOO many toys all over the house.
I love the idea of a “staging area” if kids are a little unsure about getting rid of something! Thanks for all the tips.
-Lauren
Great tips, I love the one about donating some because it teaches kids a great lessons though there may be a few years lol. thanks for sharing this.
Ohh gosh do I need this!! This is on my list before we even get to open a single Christmas gift!
I love this. We’re actually getting ready to donate a bunch of items.