Decluttering Toys In Your Home: A Blueprint
If you’re like the average parent, at least once a day (or 10) we think about kids toys, regardless of the age of the kids. Are they still playing with that? Why does that have so many pieces? Why do they like that thing? Why don’t they play with this? Where in the world are we going to store this? Why did someone give this to my kid? Why is this left out again? Does any of that sound familiar?
Instead of worrying so much about what and our kids may or may not like/play with a toy, we’re going to learn concrete skills to declutter any toys, at any time, while bringing them along for the ride to learn together.
If decluttering toys in your home has felt impossible, overwhelming or just plain confusing, the goal is to take all that away in this blog post. We’ll give you the foundation on how to get started below, and if you want to take it a step further, you can checkout my Parents + Kids Guide To Decluttering!
1. AVOID OVERWHELM BY PICKING A STRATEGY TO MAKE TOY DECLUTTERING FEEL ‘SMALL’.
Instead of getting overwhelmed thinking of ALL the toys in your home + how to declutter them all at one time, make the process feel smaller/more manageable with one of these approaches:
+ Consider a single category to focus on. Games. Building. STEM toys. Stuffed animals. Small toys. Large toys (just a few examples). There’s a lot of ways to slice + dice this but the end goal is to make the process feel ‘small’ + focus your energy on a single group of things rather than everything at once.
+ Pick one toy zone to focus on. A toy drawer or collection. One closet. One shelf. One basket. One bin. One wall of the toy room. Keep hyper focused on assessing one zone, then move on to the next when you can. Declutter toys only in this zone.
+ Set a timer for 10-15 minutes. Pick an area, room or zone to focus on + let the timer guide your process while you declutter. Once the time is up, if you’d like to keep going, feel free to! If you aren’t able to continue, do another short burst of time later when you can.
2. TIPS TO HELP YOU DECLUTTER TOYS QUICKLY.
Now that you’ve decided on an approach to make the process more doable, here’s a strategic list of things to consider/look out for to start pairing down the toys in your home as you’re decluttering.
START WITH TOYS THAT ARE EASY TO PART WITH:
+ Discard broken, beyond repair toys. I would also include cheap, plastic toys in the category from parties (you know exactly what I’m talking about) that break easily /aren’t being actively played with (TOSS). Recycle parts/pieces/packaging whenever possible. Check locally.
+ Donate duplicate toys in good shape (unless both are actively being used). Example: We were recently given a dice game we already had. We donated one of the games.
+ Donate toys that your child active avoids or opening says they don’t like anymore. You can open a conversation about it with your kids by saying: ‘I’ve noticed a few things you aren’t playing with anymore, what are your thoughts about it? Can we donate it + free up more space for other things?’ If something is still up for debate, move the toy/game/etc. in an easy to access location for a period of time you both agree on (1 month for example), then donate if it hasn’t been played with after that time.
GENERAL TIPS FOR ASSESSING ANY TOY IN YOUR HOME:
+ Is the toy actively being used/enjoy frequently? (KEEP)
+ Has your child developmentally outgrown the toy / engage with it less + less? (DONATE, OR save for a younger sibling if you have the space to do so.)
+ Is there a similar toy that your child plays with a lot more? Example: You have 2 similar magnetic tile building sets, only 1 is used when both are out. (DONATE the lesser used one OR try a toy rotation, keeping only 1 out at a time. If one is avoided, it’s now time to DONATE it.)
+ Is it a 90/10 or open ended toy? This means the child has to do 90% of the work for it to be played with, 10% is the toy itself. This toy can be reinvented, redesigned + reused in endless ways. In general, toys with screens, lights, sounds + talks to your kid are not 90/10 toys. Examples of a 90/10 toys include: building blocks, beads, pom poms, a ball, cups/bowls, a marble run kit. (DONATE or limit the number of toys in your home doing all the work for your kids - it will reduce boredom + boost their creativity. Focus on keeping mostly open ended toys in your home.)
+ Are you limited on space in your home / there’s larger toys that your kids don’t enjoy much anymore? Remember that open space to move, create + breathe in are the best things we can offer our kids to foster more play. (DONATE the big, bulky toys that are rarely used eating up valuable space in your home).
See even more tips + strategies inside my Parents + Kids Guide To Decluttering.
3. AFTER YOU’VE PAIRED DOWN YOUR TOYS, MAKE SURE THEY ALL HAVE AN INTENTIONAL HOME.
Maximize the space you have + make ‘play’ more accessible, foster more creativity with your kids, reduce overstimulation + encourage longer, independent play with these strategies:
+ Limit what you have out for your kids to play with, especially 7 + under. Sensory overestimation is at a peak during these ages, so having less out at a time will engage them in more creative play + foster more independence. Children with sensory sensitivities will require additional boundaries per that child. But to recap, no matter the age, less out is always best.
+ Rotate toys around every few weeks if you have the space to do so. If you don’t have space for this, simply rearranging toys in the space you have, swapping bins or displaying things differently one morning can create a similar effect of things feeling new + interesting! You can also consider a toy swap with a fellow mama every few months to refresh your toy stash! I love this idea!
+ Make toys easy to get to / easy to put away. Any toys that need guidance or supervision should be up high/not easily accessible. Model to your kids where things are + where you put them when you’re done playing with them. Model for them how to take care of what they have in their home.
+ Let messes happen. Pick your moments to reset your play spaces + encourage your kids to take charge of this effort. Join in for a bit with some good music on + then let them take over. Remember, the less you own, the less there is to manage + put away!
Now it’s your turn to go try these tips out to help you start getting unstuck with toys in your home, so you can start taking decluttering action in small bursts!! You’ve got this!!
Want more insights on how to talk with your children, tailored to their age, to get them involved with decluttering toys (+ all their things) in your home? You’ll learn all of these tools + more inside my Parents + Kids Guide to Decluttering!
WHAT TO DO NEXT:
+ Download my free declutter guide to get you taking quick + easy decluttering action in your own home (linked in profile).
+ Click the follow button for @fuzzyhipposhop to follow along for more decluttering tips + basics to get you unstuck in your home on instagram!
+ Check out the KIDS STUFF zone for more free resources!
+ A game-changing resource for families: Parents + Kids Guide to Decluttering is a must for any family!!
Sending you + your family lots of fun + less chaos in 2025!!
Please drop any comments + questions below. I’d love to here from you! // Kristin
