23 Fun and Clever Ways to Organize Toys

Find the best toy storage ideas – a never-ending battle. We’ve all been there, right moms? Been in a place where all you can see are scattered toys. Toys in the kitchen, toys in the dining room, toys in the bedroom, toys in the bathroom, toys in the living room, toys in the kids room and everywhere! Sometimes it drives us crazy. Most of the time it complicates things. The most painful part? Stepping on one of them, especially the small toys and even smaller toys. To help our fellow moms keep their sanity, we’ve collected some of the most awesome and clever kids toys organization hacks.

“Play is the work of childhood” ~ Jean Piaget

Clever Kids Toy Organization Hacks

1. Organize and Save Space by Ditching the Boxes

Puzzles – Downsize bulky boxes and save space by placing all puzzle pieces in a zipper pouch. Be sure to label them or cut a picture of the puzzle and tape it in front of the pouch, says The Navy Stripe. Another hack – use a sharpie or crayons to draw a shape on the back of each piece in a puzzle (circle, triangle, square etc.) to quickly know which pieces belong together so you’ll be able to easily sort and store.

Playing Cards – I know I am not the only one frustrated with flimsy card game boxes! Here’s a cool way to store up those playing cards from Style and Dwell. Label each set, or tape the front of the box to the container to find out which is which.

Board Games – Turn your usable board games into a beautiful piece of colorful wall art. Infarrantly Creative gives full instructions on how to make this DIY toy storage hack turned art work to not only organize your toys but create artwork at the same time. Keep playing pieces and spinners organized with plastic hooked on the back!

Related: More board game storage ideas that really work

2. Organizing Toys with Clear Containers Makes Finding What You Want a Cinch!

Totes, Bins, and shoe organizers – oh my!! These clever ways to organize toys using clear storage boxes or plastic tubs help keep the toy clutter at bay while letting you and your kids quickly and easily find what you want at a glance. What makes this even better? Less dumping and hunting during play time!

Stacking Clear Plastic Containers- Project Nursery used clear storage containers from the container store to know what’s inside with just a quick peek. These stacking containers make it easy to group toys and supplies together to keep things tidy!

Clear Drawstring Bags – No Bins? Try making this clear storage bag by Make It Love It. Having the right sized container makes it convenient for kids to take down, carry around, and put away on their own – and the clear panel makes it easy to know what’s inside!

Clear Hanging Shoe Organizer This idea from Parents is brilliant – no more dolls piled in the doll house! Use an old hanging shoe organizer for storing those Barbie’s and action figures, it makes it quick and easy to find, sort, and replace dolls and accessories.

3. Lego Organization Hacks

Transform an old train table into a Lego table – tutorial from i can teach my child. If you have a train table laying around, you can easily repurpose it into a great Lego storage and play table. Pick up a piece of wood, cut to size, so it fits snugly on the top of the table. Paint the wood a matching color and let dry, then grab some adhesive to attach the Lego base plates to the top! What is brilliant about this – the Lego top acts as a removeable insert, so your table can still be used as a train table if needed. Plus, the storage drawers are perfect for holding all the loose Lego pieces underneath!

Create a building center from plastic drawer units – DIY from our wee family! Create a great building center using plastic storage towers and a piece of wood from the hardwood store. The top is made from a piece of wood with base plates glued to one side. The best part? It is completely removeable so you can build on the floor or even flip it over for a great blank slate. This building center is completely versatile and has many functions. The plastic drawer units are great for storing Legos and has a place for everything. The center bin can be removed to wheel to another area or even create a space underneath for stools.

IKEA Trofast Storage Solution – No time to build your own? This IKEA find is perfect for sorting and storing Legos! Sturdy and strong with removable trays so kids can take what they need with them and easily return them when finished. We love this idea of sorting by color from. I Heart Organizing.

Related: More LEGO storage ideas that really work

4. Ways to Organize Stuffed Animal Toys

Hammocks– This is a cute storage idea from Lemon Squeezy Home for those stuffed animals just lying around the corner! This easy DIY lets you quickly create a hammock that can free up floor space and keep things organized at the same time, win-win in our book!

Hanging Baskets – No time to create your own hammock? We love this idea from Centsational Girl to use hanging baskets for stuffed animals and other toys. This is a great way to create off the floor storage without shelving – and you can place it at the perfect playing height for your kids to make it easy to access and clean up on their own.

Animal Swing – What a fun idea for those stuffed animals, you gotta love this DIY stuffed animal swing. Great option if you don’t have a corner of the room available for a hammock, and easy enough that the kids can help with the construction!

ways to organize stuffed animals using a swing — DIY Stuffed Animal Swing from It’s Always Autumn.

Clever Clotheslines – Another option we love for organizing stuffed animals is sweet and simple from attemptingaloha. Just attach a clothesline and pin stuffed animals along the length with clothespins and voila!

5. Hacks for Organizing Toy Cars

Portable Car Caddy Organization – for organization on the go, here’s a fun car caddy tutorial at Homemade by Jill. The spacing make it easy for little hands to stow and go!

Car Organization for the house – Display those hot wheels and other car collections with this slanted display shelf by LumberJocks. The slanted shelving make aye catching way to organize toy cars, and the lip at the front keeps them from slipping off!

Magnetic Toy Car Organization – Magnetic Knife holder for cars? Why not? This simple solution for style-files makes and easy way to organize to cars by attach them to the walls, no shelving needed!

6. Under Table Toy Organization

Play Table – Another way to organize toys and save space is to create storage under the play table. Visit Land of Nod and have a peek at this craft table topped with a replaceable roll of craft paper for kids to create on!

Cube Coffee Tables – These DIY cube tables can work alone as end tables or together as a work table. What’s the perk? They can be separated so each child can have his/her personal storage and work space. For this creative tutorial on ways to organize toys under the table visit Lowes.

Related post: Having pets at home is fun! If you have a cat at your home, try these DIY cat toys.

7. Space Saving Ways to Organize Books

Wagon Transformation – Have a book worm at home? Transform your child’s wagon to this cute book storage on the go! Visit Cory Connor Designs for the transformation.

Spice Racks – Keep books organized and easy to grab by using spice racks to corral them. The Sweetest Digs uses Ikea Spice racks to make this cool book shelf to keep books tidy and title visible!

Hanging Bucket – Store books and magazines with a bucket hung from the wall like this one at Coisas da Orlas. You can easily place these in book nooks, by reading chairs, or wherever you want to cozy up and read to make clean up a breeze.

Book Sling – Another cool and fun way to store up books is to put them in a DIY book sling such as this one at Penny Carnival. The fabric bottom means less corners for little heads to knock into!

7. Ways to Organize Toys for the Yard and Garage

Metal Buckets – Toys always seem to find their way outside, don’t they? And let’s face it, some toys like bubbles and chalk are meant for outside use. We love this quick and easy ways to organize toys using metal buckets from Domestic Charm

Bungee Ball Cage – Balls take up so much space and if they’re not put together you can see them all around the house the house and yard. A simple organization hack is to create a ball cage with bungee cords to keep them corralled in the garage like designed to dwell did. The cords make for easy access and clean up!

8. Maximize Closet Space

You can easily organize the playroom and clean up the bedroom with this hanging closet storage at Land of Nod. This storage solution makes the most of that vertical space by breaking it up into smaller spaces without breaking the bank! Tighter spaces make for easier accessibility, less sorting, and easier clean up.

Where to Start With Toy Organization?

Feeling lost? Just remember to begin with the end in mind.

When coming up with ways to organize toys – you want to start by identifying where your problem areas are – where do your kids spend the most time? Where are the hot spots where toys usually end up? How many toys do you want easily accessible to little hands, and which toys do you want them to have access to with your help?
Then – decide if you want to downsize any toys – no sense in organizing toys you don’t have a need of! Toys that your kids have outgrown or no longer use can be donated.
Next, think of what space you have available – don’t forget to look up and around! A lot of toys can be stowed in nooks and crannies without needing traditional shelving!

Then, you are ready to settle on the right ways to organize toys for your family and dive right in!