Do you have a hunch it is time to declutter the toys in your home? Let me guide you through the first steps of regaining peace and happy play in your home.
The truth is this: If we never get rid of any toys, most of us would drown in toys. In our time and place in the world, we have an excess of most things, especially toys. With a never-ending cycle of birthdays and Christmas, new toys are always coming into our homes. Do yourself, and your children, a favor, and don’t let yourself drown in toys.
Believe it or not, children actually do better in a simplified environment (read: less toys). This concept has been studied, and proven. Children play more creatively, more independently, and more cooperatively, in a space with fewer toys. (I would like to explore this beautiful truth more sometime.)
I know parents can feel quite guilty getting rid of toys, especially toys that were received as gifts, but it really is a gift to our children to keep their things from overwhelming them. It is also a gift to the family as a whole.
But even when you feel ready to remove some toys from your house, you may find yourself stumped as to which toys to remove.
Allow me to help you begin.
Seven Reasons to Declutter Toys:
- There is constant fighting over a certain toy.
- Your children have lost interest in a toy.
- Something is a “flash in the pan” toy.
- Mama and Papa are increasingly irritated with a toy.
- A toy has been used more for harm than for good.
- You have multiples, or too many, of one type of toy.
- A toy is broken, or missing important parts.
Let me explain….
Declutter a toys that cause constant fighting.
Of course, siblings fight. It is inevitable. If we got rid of every toy anyone ever fought over, we would be a toyless household – and be honest, so would you! Many a toy has ended up sitting on top of our bookshelf, out of reach. But I have found that there are some toys that consistently cause disaster. If a toy is doing little more than initiating fights, we kick it to the curb. Usually this means putting it in the garage for a while. But if I find myself banishing a toy to the garage time after time, it is time to send it on its way to another home.
Declutter things when your children lose interest.
Sometimes toys are super fun, and then kids lose interest. This could be because the toy wasn’t very good to begin with, or it could be because interests or abilities changed. Maybe a toy isn’t age-appropriate anymore. Or maybe someone isn’t as into Daniel Tiger as much as they once were. Or maybe we had our fun and now we are done. If a toy isn’t being played with in your house, it isn’t serving its purpose (which means it isn’t serving any purpose), and it is time for it to leave. It is okay to declutter toys that were once favorite toys, or expensive toys, or begged-for-toys. If you see toys constantly sitting on a shelf, it is time to declutter them.
Declutter “flash in the pan” toys.
I have noticed a pattern in the toys children receive as gifts. Generally speaking, the toys most exciting upon opening are the toys that most quickly end up unused. Toys with sounds, or lights, or very-specific purposes are so very fun to receive. But they just don’t stand the test of time. (Paw Patrol tower, I’m looking at YOU.) These toys usually do all the work themselves, leaving little for curious minds to do, and they are typically bossy about how they are to be used. And like all bossy friends, they end up being left alone in the playroom. Eventually, we ask them to leave.
Declutter that which irritates.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “What a terrible reason to get rid of a toy!” Or perhaps you are yelling: “Amen!” I am going to assume and hope that anyone who has lived with a battery operated toy is nodding in agreement.
Fortunately, most of the toys that irritate us as parents are the “flash in the pan” toys, so it all works itself out. Just as we as parents reach our peak level of irritation, the kids generally lose interest, because, as I mentioned, those flashy “exciting” toys are just not that fun long-term. But I have had some instances of irritation for other reasons. I once purchased some lovely wooden “small piece toys” – smooth rings and balls and little wooden scoops – that ended up thrown (literally) all over the house. They are no longer with us.
Declutter things used more for harm than for good.
Once upon a time, a family member (who shall not be named) gave my son a plastic golf set. A plastic golf “bag” on wheels with a couple of plastic clubs and balls and even a little plastic flag. The plastic set was purposefully chosen instead of a metal set. But it turns out, you can give a pretty good bruise with the blow of a plastic stick. These golf clubs were quickly weaponized. So were the plastic balls. The golf bag was stuffed with dirt. Things were broken and tears were shed. Very few rounds of golf were played. This golf set lived a violent and destructive life, and eventually found itself in our garbage bin.
This may very well be a reality very specific to testosterone-filled “boy houses”. Regardless, if toys are habitually being used to hurt others, please remove them from your home.
Declutter multiples.
There are some toys only made more fun by having more. It is fun to build a collection of magnatiles or wooden blocks or almost any building toy. My boys have also collected quite the bin of hot wheel cars. They remember each car they have personally received, and they sincerely enjoy having all the little cars. But not all toys are better in multiples. And eventually, too many of any one toy is simply too much to maintain – too much for kids to pick up, and too much for us to store. If there is a helpless whiny outburst every time you ask the kids to pick up the play food, it is probably too much.
With many toys, one is enough. You probably don’t need two identical puzzles, or three tea sets, or six firefighter costumes. (Of course, if you have six children and they like to play fire station, you have my support in keeping six firefighter costumes.) Just be aware that you aren’t keeping multiples when you don’t need to, and that your collections don’t outgrow your space or your kids’ ability to pick them up.
Note: As children get older, they can manage larger collections of things like blocks. Likewise, as siblings grow in number, they can manage larger collections of toys, and may benefit from having more blocks or cars or play food to share.
Declutter broken toys, or things missing important parts.
Do you have a puzzle missing pieces? Or a three-wheeled car?
Sometimes, pieces go missing, and that is fine. A dollhouse missing a chair is not a reason to kick the house to the curb. But if a toy or set is missing a key piece, it is probably time to declutter that toy. Please just throw it away. I think that is all I need to say about that.
I give you permission to declutter toys in your home.
This list will help you declutter toys that are ultimately doing more harm than good. But, like me, you may find that simply getting rid of the “problem” toys is not enough. We have generous parents and an aunt who loves gift-giving, which is a blessing. However, it means that sometimes even good toys have to go.
When all the broken and irritating and fight-inducing toys are gone, and the toy shelf is still overwhelming to the family, we have to change how we remove toys.
This list asks the question: “What should I get rid of?”
The next stage of decluttering asks: “Which toys do I want to keep?”
When using this mindset, you decide how many toys you want to keep (usually aided by a boundary like a shelf or other contained space) and then choose the toys to put in that space. The rest leave the building.
After you have removed the bad toys, you may still be left with too many. I have been there myself – often! When you realize more toys need to leave your home, try “reverse decluttering”. Read more about it here.
And please, don’t let yourself drown in toys, especially broken and irritating ones.
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