I figure many parents, like me, are looking at their child’s room thinking “what are we going to do when Christmas gets here?” If you have found yourself asking this question then It is time to be making room for Christmas toys!
Now Is The Time
NOW is the time to start simplifying, decluttering, donating, or whatever you want to call it. Whatever you do, don’t wait until after Christmas! Do it while your children are excited about the holidays and before it becomes a serious clutter problem.
If your sneaky, small kids may not even notice the toy downgrade. For other children, have a talk with them and explain the problem, then let them help decide what to keep and what to get rid of.
Most kids love the idea of getting rid of toys for possible new ones. Help them make a Christmas list after going through their possessions.
Encourage your child to donate some possessions to less fortunate children or sell them for a profit.
If you are really desperate you can purchase the toys yourself. ????
Where To Start ?
After your child choices the “few” toys he is willing to part with, you both may need some direction for the process to keep going smoothly. Keep in mind this is probably a big deal to your child, practice patience, be kind, be understanding, and be persuasive! Here are a few pointers to keep you on the right track.
1. Toss Out Broken Toys And Toys With Missing Pieces.
I love doing this first because it’s quick, easy and you can often see a difference quickly! Sift through your child’s toy bins, toy box, drawers, bookshelves, and anywhere else there may be toys hiding. Quickly gather together anything broken, missing pieces or inoperable.
Encourage your child to help.
Explain that they could ask for replacements on their Christmas wish list if it’s something they really enjoyed.
And that’s it! This step is done ✅
2. Look For Doubles.
Does anyone else’s kids end up with several of the same (or nearly the same) toys? These “double” toys are a perfect opportunity to DONATE/SIMPLIFY! Oftentimes we have no need for 2, 3, or even 4 of the same things. SO why not jump on this opportunity to declutter! Show your child just how many of one item they have. Explain how there really is no need to have so many and it would make more sense to keep their favorite while passIng the rest on to someone who doesn’t have one. No, your child may not be exuberant about the idea but there is a good chance they will come around.
3. Condense Categories. So.. your child loves barbies, hot wheels, or blocks. That’s great! I don’t know how your home is, but in mine, so many of these category type toys seem to get out of hand over time.
Oftentimes we can condense a toy category without illuminating it . For example, my toddler is just learning to build with chunky blocks. He dumps them out and builds a ‘one block’ wide block tower until it’s to tall to stand, then cheers as he watches it fall over. He does this over and over obviously enjoying his blocks.
This response is exactly what I look for in a toy. With that said, I for sure don’t want to just ditch the blocks. BUT on the other hand, he usually is playing with only about 1/4 of the massive bag he received for Christmas. The rest of the bag lays in my floor never touched until time to pick up.
This is a perfect sign for me to “condense a toy category”.
Not much time went by before I quickly added these extra blocks to the donation bag. Another plus! This gave me just enough room to add his building block tonka truck into the block bag
(Cleaning up yet another toy from the bin). ⭐️SCORE!!!!!!!⭐️
To be honest, my 3 year old has not even noticed the change in his blocks. But Momma sure has! Block time is just as fun and the clean up is much easier. ???? It’s a WIN-WIN ! As he gets older and his building skills begin to improve I’m sure he will want more blocks for his collection . I’m also sure that if the past is any for-telling, then he will probably receive more blocks as future gifts. So, Nope. I’m not to worried.
4. Unused Toys
This can be the hard one.
to help get you through this step! Try to see the toys in your child’s eyes and not your own as you go through the unused toy category.
No you don’t have to rid of every single toy that your child doesn’t constantly play with, just starting with a few completely unused toys can make a BIG difference!
This one May be hard for your child, but laying out several and asking them to choose one or two to get rid of may help. Remind them of which toys they really don’t play with much, if they insist this will change offer a trial time period with the agreement of getting rid of the toy at the end of the period of its still not used. If certain toys are literally never seen or touched, you may get by sneaking them to the garage and eventually out.
5. Toys For The Future This is something I’ve found myself hung up on more then once. The truth is many of us hold onto a ton of old toys for our younger kids to grow into. I’m not suggesting to rid of ALL of these toys, but how about reconsidering the amount we keep. Think about the reason you are holding onto these extra toys. And ask yourself if less toys could possibly fulfill this purpose just as well.
*Don’t be the parent that holds onto more toys than your child. You’re just setting a “pack rat” example before them.
Now that we’ve completed these 5 simple steps, give time for you and your children to adjust to your simplified room then Repeat these steps as necessary or as you feel needed! ⏱
If you accomplished your goals for this room in one quick evening then congratulations ???? !! But If it takes a little longer and some extra effort to start feeling true results then that’s ok too!!!
I’m with you There!
Give your kids a clutter free environment to play with the toys they actually love and room to receive more this holiday season!
Hope this article motivates you!
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