Through the years we have had times with 6 kids living here and 10 kids coming for school. There are a couple tricks I’ve learned along the way to taming the toy tornado. Let’s dive in and get you some peace for the new year.
At one point we had 6 kids living in our home. And shortly after, a preschool with another 10 kids. There are a couple tricks I’ve learned along the way to taming the toy tornado. Let’s dive in and get you some peace for the new year.
Find the song for today and your free journal download at awakenyourinterior.com/resources.
My toy room faves:
Open shelves, food service trays, Trofast by Ikea, wall hooks, toy storage bin racks, Iris plastic bins.
At one point we had 6 kids living in our home. And shortly after, a preschool with another 10 kids. There are a couple tricks I’ve learned along the way to taming the toy tornado. Let’s dive in and get you some peace for the new year.
I know how hard it can be to live in a home that doesn’t feel right. It's not your fault. You were never taught how to create a home that makes you feel alive.
The key is inside you, we just need to unlock it, and this podcast is where you begin.
I’m Tasha Cleaveland, welcome to the Listening Closely podcast.
Ever notice when kids come over to play, they tend to dump out one bin after another, like some kind of expedition, and if you look away and dare to have a conversation with their adult… within minutes every single toy is on the floor in piles. You consider reining it in, asking for them to put away one before playing with the next. Sometimes you can win there. And sometimes, maybe you just need a conversation with another human over the age of 10, more, and you know the cost. When it’s time for those kids to go home though, you get a litmus test of this parent friendship. Does the other parent cut and run, leaving you to put it all back together? Do they quickly dump things into bins and then run away? Do they… actually ask you where things go? Those are rare. Hang on to that friend. Well, here is my magic trick for keeping those parent friendships intact, and also keeping peace with Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, the babysitters, and e-gad. Possibly even your kids.
We are going to take a page from Montessori early childhood concepts for this one. Basically their organization and expectations revolve around having things easy to see, identify, and having everything manageable for your child to do on their own. And if a kid can do it, then hey, the grownups can too!
My favorite organizational tools are the following. Grab a pen and paper, and just in case, I will drop this list in the notes for you too.
-Open shelves, really any bookshelves that are at least 10” deep will work.
-Food service trays Plastic is key. We’ve tried the metal ones and they buckle when carrying, and if you are avid clay fans, like us, those trays rust when washed.
-The Trofast system by Ikea with lids. I can’t tell you how much I love these darn bins. They were my mothers day gift one year, and still make my heart skip a beat. Anytime I stumble across them second hand, I really have to restrain myself. It may be an addiction. I prefer the wood ones, and paint or stain to suit, because the white ones have a different construction method that I don’t think is as sturdy. Get the removable bins, not the shelves. You want your kids to take the bin to the play space and be able to refill and bring back to the storage wall.
-Angled kids toy storage. Just google kids toy storage and they will pop up. They look like two solid sides, with just poles running across, kind of like a shoe storage shelf. These tend to come with brightly colored bins and are a classic staple of kids storage. Again, the all wood construction is better than the plastic or melamine or MDF, so go for the wood, especially if second hand. Wood is easier to repair than the others. There’s one thing about these storage shelves, though, I do not like the bins that come with them. I am not a fan of the cliche “boy and girl” color palettes… ever. And toy storage is not a focal point for a room, you want it to disappear. So I swap them with the lidded clear shoe bins. I like the Iris brand. They come in single and double shoe size.
-A row of hooks for dress up.
-A table with a chair that is their size. The little sets with two chairs are great. Ive even used nice coffee tables and swapped the legs out with legs that are the length I need. You get esthetics and they get ergonomics. Win win.
Now, let me explain how to use this whole shebang.
The open shelves get trays with activities you set out on them, or a project that isn’t complete. Think puzzles, lego creations, art projects. This is also a great way to homeschool littles. Set out an activity for them to do and watch as they do it on their own. Teach them to pull the tray and take it with them to the table to contain the parts, pieces and mess. For larger toys like big trucks or a barn or dollhouse, those can go higher on the shelf and be accessed with assistance if needed. Ideally everything is accessible by your kid, but this isn’t always possible.
Trays are for temporary use, I liked to reset every week. If you don’t, it becomes a stagnant dust magnet. I know its one more thing on the to-do list, but you are the only one that can do this part. Just like new toys have a luster, swapping activities on the trays regains that new toy appeal. And I promise the return of happy kids playing will be worth your time prepping it.
Trofast and angled bins need photo labels. Even though you can see through the clear bins, once things get dumped out, people forget what goes where. Here’s what I find works best. Sort toys by subject and fit into bins. Then have some fun with your kids letting them set up their toys for a photo shoot. One bin at a time, take a pic of the contents in an enticing way. If it’s all the curved pieces of a train track system, line them up in a fun pattern or make a circle, show how it’s used. Take a pic and add the title, like “curved train tracks”, “action figures”, “City Blocks”, in Markup on your phone or later in your computer. You want the words to be very easy for your child to read. Bonus is sight reading practice if you have a little. For everyone else, you’ve got clarity and accountability. Print these photos out and tape them to the bins. You can laminate them with packing tape as you tape them on, for easy cleaning. Now that the kids are bigger, we use our Trofasts for art and hobby supplies. It’s really a system that will grow with you.
We have tried many storage methods for dress up clothes and by far the best was a piece of 1x4 with cup hooks screwed in every 2”. Mount this to the wall at a height they can hang up their clothes and accessories easily. Hang a basket for play silks or other items that might get damaged by hooks. You can also buy pre-made coat hook racks if you like, but we always had a lot of dress up clothes and the pre-made choices didn’t offer enough hooks for our collection. I am a big believer in keeping the fantasy and imagination alive in childhood and can’t say I have ever found a young child that could resist our dress up wall and becoming whatever their hearts could dream of. It is probably my favorite memory looking back at this age. My 16 year old still can’t resist this kind of play and is currently wearing the Christmas tree skirt as a shawl, and pronounced herself princess mayor. The laughter and imagination are never lacking around here.
Last thing I like to use in a playroom, is a timer. When it’s time to clean up, make it fun. Try asking your kids “Do you think we can clean this all up faster than we did last time? Ready, set, go!” Sometimes we played a song as the timer. It makes it more fun to do it all together and race yourself. (I still use this trick to clean the kitchen with my teens. Shhh. Don’t tell them.) Be a little silly along the way! Stack the hats all on your head as you race to the hook wall. Juggle the balls. Whatever makes it fun. And know that sometimes you will be the only one who is doing it at first, but then when they see what fun you are having, the grumps usually join in. But even if they don’t, know that this is part of the process, the age of toys. And eventually you will reminisce about the days that your kids played with anything besides an electronic device. It’s not just about making this fun and do-able for them, its about doing it for you too. I found myself so much happier putting things away when it was organized like this, even when it was just me doing it. Because it was for me. For my sanity. And for theirs, they just don’t know it.
Now let’s look at the whole picture. You have a room with activities that are identifiable at a glance. Your child can see everything, and reach as much as possible by themselves. Your child has a defined space to play on with a tray for small parts. Your child has a simple method to put things away by themselves, even when they aren’t finished with it. The bin contents can be identified quickly and easily by anyone to play with and to put away. The lidded bins keep the dust out, so it’s easy to wipe down and keep things pleasant to touch and play with.
Can you picture this room in your home? How does it feel to you? How does it sound in here? What do you say to yourself when you come in? Can you see yourself pulling up a chair at the table and playing with them for awhile?
My journal reflection:
Hard moment:
It has been a hard holiday week. 2020 is certainly not ending quietly. You know when there is a breakup in your family, even when it’s not you breaking up, it still rocks the whole ship? Well, that was our Christmas morning and every day since. I am so grateful everyone is safe and healthy. My soul though, feels shattered. Like, don’t want to get out of bed, crying till my eyes are two little dots, overwhelming sadness, shattered. The dreams of what could have been, and what was planned. Why are those always the hardest to deal with when something ends or plans go awry? The traces of what used to be, found, everywhere, a constant reminder. I know that the times in my life that have been the hardest, are always the times I grow the most from. Oh my, what growth I have to look forward to.
The strange thing is, when we are struck with emotional overwhelm, we tend to cope in different ways, usually to escape our bodies. Sleep is my method. But instead of crawling into bed at 8pm on Christmas night, I put on a song, and moved. It was interesting to feel my body come back to life. It was such a strong contrast from a moment before. The warmth from the space heater on my skin, the brush of the velour blanket across my face, and I dove into my body, and listened. I heard my body begging to slow down, to feel, to feel taken care of, like only I could do. And so, I did.
Much love to everyone having one of those hard days, too. You aren’t alone.
The song for today is:
“Carry You” by Ruelle and Fleurie
This just about sums up the heaviness I am feeling, and anytime I can match my current emotion to a song, there is a whole different level of music therapy that can be accomplished.
Find this and all the songs I mention in this podcast on my Spotify, Listening Closely, playlist. Get the link at awakenyourinterior.com/resources It’s also where you can download your own printable journal. And I will be dropping a new free e-book there on New Year’s Day. My gift to you, to get 2021 started out right.
Today let’s focus on feeling the weight of things. The weight of your hair as you let it out of elastic and it cascades across your face and your shoulders. The weight of your arms when you inch them toward the sky. Feel the drag of your foot as you unfurl into an open leg stretch. Feel the weight of all of you and all that you carry in this world, and then surrender, melting into the ground, dripping and dropping down, until you are one with all that is. Until you can feel the earth pushing back, knowing that you are not alone. I am right here with you, surrendering too. Let’s see how this journey unfolds in your body. I will let you know how my body is responding, and where it is taking me, so that you have something to go by if you get lost, but this is your body’s journey. There is no right path to take today. Feel the weight of your world, and surrender it to that which is greater than yourself.
Soulwork for today:
Let’s look at your current toy situation. How does it compare to the ideas we talked about today? What is working in your space, what is not? What can you implement today to improve your toy storage, and in turn, your well being? Pick one small thing to do today. Once that is complete, what will you work on next?
Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I know how hard it is when it seems like there isn’t any to spare. But you showed up today. You put yourself on the list and I celebrate you. As you move through your day, keep your soul work assignment in mind and before starting bedtime routine, while the kids are brushing their teeth, grab your journal and fill in the prompts. Keep going. You can do this.
Know another mom who needs to put themselves on the list too? Please share the love, because we are stronger together.
Until tomorrow. Lots of love.
Tasha