We moved into our home when my second little was a newborn and, at the time, the space we had was more than enough - a three bedroom, two bath with a fenced in yard for our sweet puppy. But now, that sweet newborn is six and she is a collector of ALL. THE. LITTLE. THINGS. Any 'blind bag', 'surprise bag', or tiny character that has all the tiny little accessories that go with it - SHE. WILL. FIND. IT. and HAS TO HAVE IT! To boot - her older brother has every Minecraft LEGO kit and Pokemon card ever made..
So - while I believe the ideas that I have for you about organizing a playroom, can definitely be applied to a playroom - I also give you advice as a momma whose little ones have a bedroom that is also the playroom, the playroom which is also the bedroom..
I share these ideas hoping that you will be able to apply them and make them your own as you seasonally or yearly, organize your little one(s) "toy space", "playroom", "maker space", or "artist construction area"!
1. I was a fan of the Marie Kondo method (https://www.instagram.com/mariekondo/) long before she made it popular.. Even as a child, I took joy from clearing out a space of all of the items in it to take inventory, and then reorganizing it all to my heart's content. Decide what things don't serve the kids and/or you anymore and separate them from the useful items that you will keep.
2. Donate and/or Consign those items that don't serve you any longer - find a Goodwill or a Salvation Army drop off - your gently used items will be a blessing to someone else who can use them for a little longer #sustainability . For the rarely used items (especially baby items and clothes) find a consignment shop to determine the need and the process for the resale of those pieces that you might have trouble parting ways with, but realize you haven't used for months or longer.
*If you plan to foster/adopt/have more children - it may also be a good idea to store these items away for future use (attic, storage shed, etc.) or share them with a group of friends who have little ones as well.
3. CLEAN (I can share how I deep clean a space in a separate blog post in the future but) I find this to be another extremely satisfying step in the process AND its a great opportunity to re-style the space as your child(red) grows and his/her tastes change.
4. Organize the items into categories - dolls, stuffed animals, books, little accessories that don't have a container as part of their make-up, art supplies, LEGOS, cards, games puzzles, blocks, etc. and decide how they will be stored for easy accessibility, spilling, relocation and clean-up.
5. Storage - If you haven seen anything else on my website (freetodesigninteriors.com) or IG account (@free_to_design) you might already know how I feel about baskets... (insert all the heart emojis here). Baskets and labeled plastic containers (under-the-bed or for in the closet) are great for styling and hiding all of the small little items that just don't have a natural container as part of their make-up AND, even better, make it easy for the kiddos to dump, spill, pick up and relocate if and when they need to.
BONUS TIP: Styling: Here is a list of adorable IG accounts if you are looking for inspiration to help brighten up the playroom, nursery, or kid's bedroom, after all of your hardworking organizing things! (This is not an endorsement; I don't get money from these accounts for posting these links)
Let me know if you have any questions or if you need solutions for your specific space - I would love to help you organize and style your little one's space - making it functional and playful for your family.
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