Cognitive dissonance. It's when you try to hold two opposing ideas in your brain at once, and what happens to us every time we walk into our kids' rooms. We love our kids truly, madly, and deeply while simultaneously feeling truly, madly, deeply annoyed by all their stuff. Sound familiar? Don't worry—we are here to help you tackle all your toy troubles, one small Happy Little Project at a time.
What's a Happy Little Project, you may ask? Well, it's a simple, one-step solution that immediately makes a huge difference. And, in this case, it's also a great way to introduce your kids to organizing without overwhelming them. Scroll on, and let's get started!
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Enforce Craft Control
Sure, we're all for creative freedom until someone gets our kid a 5,000-piece jewelry-making kit that comes in the most poorly designed cardboard box we've ever seen. "Even if it's a Taylor Swift-themed one?" Yes, even if it's a Taylor Swift-themed one. Once you start transferring kits to clear Bento Boxes, you'll never look back. The kit consists of what fits. Everything else can be donated.
Designate a Dress Up Station
Oh, your kids talked you into getting out the bin of old Halloween costumes again? What a hassle. Instead, create a dress-up station with kid-friendly costume storage. Not only will it save you a trip to the storage closet, but your kids are more likely to keep it organized when it feels special to them.
Throw Toys in a Turntable
Things get messy when a kid has to dig in a massive bin of LEGOs to find the piece they want! Instead, throw small toys like these in a divided turntable so they are easier for them to grab and put away.
Start 'Em Young
One of the many reasons we decided to start writing kids' books is that we believe kids have the ability to be organized—we just have to make it fun for them! One way is to introduce them to systems in ways they can understand, such as containing play food by category in clear open front bins with custom labels so they know exactly where to find things and put them away.
Bin Your Board Games
Just when you think 5,000-piece craft kits are the most annoying toy to store, here comes puzzles and board games with the same poorly designed box problems. Just do yourself a favor and transfer everything to clear shoe boxes. No missing pieces. No problems. Just make sure to cut the title from the box and tape it to the front for visibility.
Relax in Rainbow Order
We all have our favorite way to unwind at the end of the day. For Clea, it's pouring herself a large glass of champagne then retreating to her kids playroom to reorganize the books in rainbow order. So calming! 10/10. Highly recommend it! Oh, and speaking of books, grab your copies of our new books for kids and teens below.
