I remember going to sleepovers at my best friend, Lillian’s house. She had a playroom and in that room, there were lots of shelves with toys. We loved playing with assorted toys in different colors and sizes. I enjoyed hugging and falling upon the huge bears. This memory inspires me to create and arrange a toy closet for my daughter, due to my limited space.
Therefore I begin my plan and I draw some designs that I can modify accordingly. Then I do some research online in regards to various styles offered. Additionally, since my husband is in the construction industry, I seek his assistance for the implementation of my final design. I am thoroughly excited as this would make a great birthday gift for my daughter!
Creating and organizing a toy closet for your kid can be a fun and practical way to keep their toys organized and easily accessible. Here are some steps to follow:
- Clear out the closet: Begin by clearing out the closet of any old or unused items. This will give you a clean slate to work with.
- Sort the toys: Sort your child’s toys into categories such as dolls, cars, puzzles, art supplies, and board games. This will make it easier to organize the closet.
- Determine storage needs: Assess the amount of space available in the closet and determine what type of storage solutions you need. Consider using shelves, cubbies, bins, or baskets to keep everything organized.
- Label the storage: Use labels to identify where each type of toy belongs. This will make it easier for your child to find what they’re looking for and help them put things back in the right place.
- Use color-coding: Consider using color-coding to help your child identify where different types of toys belong. For example, use red baskets for dolls and blue bins for cars.
- Make it accessible: Make sure the closet is accessible for your child. Use lower shelves and storage options that are easy for them to reach.
- Rotate the toys: Consider rotating the toys every few weeks to keep things fresh and exciting for your child. This will also help prevent clutter and keep the closet organized.
By following these steps, you can create an organized and functional toy closet for your child that will make it easy for them to find their favorite toys and help keep your home clutter-free.
Here are the following steps I used to begin my project:
Room
As I enter my daughter’s bedroom, I clinically observe the layout and size of the room. In this case, her room size is approximately 8 feet by 9 feet. I then ascertain how I will re-arrange the room in order to accommodate a Toy Closet. After carefully, walking around and mentally re-arranging the bed, dressing table and play area, I find the perfect spot. It measures five foot wide.
Building Materials
Naturally, as a mother, we tend to look at cost-effective ways to complete our diverse tasks of the day. Thus my husband and I agree to use the wire shelving with the baskets and mobile boxes as well. The colour bought was white of course. My reasoning is that any unwelcome creatures can be easily spotted.
Toys
Here comes the challenge. My daughter believes that all her toys are special and needed. Therefore I have to implement a strategy that will allow her to agree on what she really wants to keep. Incomplete puzzle pieces are set aside for revision on whether to discard or distribute to cousins. Supervised toys are set aside as well to be labeled accordingly.
Label Specific Areas (self-improvement technique)
The decision on where to assign her most used toys or game boards are now actioned. I decided that I will store the dolls and bears on the wire shelving unit. Then the board games and puzzle games in a mobile box or container.
Additionally, I place her favorite reading and story time books on the labeled shelving unit.
Storage
In another storage cart, I decided to leave it uncovered. This will allow her to store her trucks and paintbrushes and whatever else she may decide. Note well however, that I store the supervisory toy items securely at the top of the closet.
Therefore she will need to ask our permission to use within our presence.
Repaint
In my most loving memory at my friend’s house, I call to mind the walls of the toy room, with its huge windows. It was white with lots of lighting and a certain airiness from the high ceiling. Therefore I emulate this memory into repainting my daughter’s room, white with sparse, fun animated characters. Since I had created the toy closet opposite the windows, I just changed the curtains to match the walls.
In this regard, we will now discuss various self-improvement techniques that even our young ones can employ. This is an important skill for them to develop as they can use it ongoing to their adult lives.
Self Improvement for Young Ones
We can guide and train our child/children to pack away their toys after use. My strategy is usually to give my daughter snack periods and assist her to clean up before the break. Furthermore, you can explain the importance of repacking toys. One explanation is the ease of finding it again to play.
Setting a limit on the number of toys bought or stored in the closet. Your child can learn how to replace a certainly used toy with obtaining a new one. Our children tend to receive most of their toys including books and board games at birthdays, holidays, etc.
In regards to labeling, we must use big, bold letters. This will assist our young one’s self-improvement on learning letters. They can even learn word construction through this simple task.
Ahh! What about the ability to organize the toys and spaces? Yes, we just did that when we created their toy closet. We labeled appropriately and placed in the respective areas, being shelves or baskets or even out of their immediate reach. They are surely learning self-improvement here.
You can also be mindful that the room or area designated for the toy’s storage should be coolly painted. The reason is that our children can be more focused at tasks on hand.
Watching my daughter play with her toys in the past, she is usually aggressive. However since I created this closet space and rearranged her bedroom, she has changed. She is now actually less noisy and more composed. Whatever caused this transition, I do not mind, for it is a positive one.
I am definitely happy that my daughter can use her books and various board games in a safe and warm environment created. As she is almost three years old, I have seen the progression of her motor coordination. She still colours outside the lines but I am told by other moms that it is a normal progression.
Similarly, I still remind her to pack away her toys neatly and clean the toy area. But that is okay as well, after all, she is almost three years old. She will get the skill right soon enough. Sometimes I assist her as well and gently remind and re-explain for the purpose of her self improvement.
Statistics
We must bear in mind the following noted statistics of reported deaths during the year 2014:
The United States of America, Consumer Product Safety Commission, (CPSC), staff received 11 reports of toy-related deaths that occurred in the 2014 calendar year among children younger than 15 years old. Actually, all 11 victims were younger than 12 years of age
Riding toys were associated with seven (64 percent) of the 11 reported deaths in 2014, and all those deaths were due to motor vehicle involvement
I agree that our children developmentally, emotionally and socially while playing with their toys, playmates, cousins and us. However, I must reiterate the need for a safe environment. We do not want our child to become another statistic. Encourage our friends and family members to buy or bring age appropriate toys for our child’s closet.
