Welcome to the 30-Day Organize-athon!
In today’s 5 minutes we’re going to express-declutter the kids’ toys.
Inhale: clarity, freedom, order. We’re gonna need it!
Day 17: Declutter The Kids’ Toys
Note: Decide on the extent to which you need to consult/involve the kids. This will depend on their ages and your family style.
Step 1: Grab a large bag or box. Depending on which option you choose in Step 3, you may need additional boxes/bags.
Step 2: Gather all the kids’ toys into one location. (If this alone takes more than 5 minutes it doesn’t count!)
Choose one of the following options:
Option A
Step 3: Quickly going through the collection, toss into the bag/box any toys that:
- Your kids have outgrown
- Are broken or dangerous
- Have been divested of batteries because they’re so annoying
- Are in poor condition
- Are doubles.
Step 4: Extract any toys that are safe and in good condition for a charity bag. Toss the rest.
Option B
Step 3: Give each child a large bag/box and ask them to fill it up with their favorite toys – the ones they want to keep. Explain that the rest can be given to kids who don’t have so many toys and would really love some more. (This may take more than 5 minutes, but perhaps you can go do something else while the kids ponder their collections?)
Step 4: Of the remaining toys, extract any that are safe and in good condition for a charity bag. Toss the rest.
And you’re done!
Got an Extra 5 Minutes?
Check your own toy collection (um, please keep comments G-rated for this blog 
) for:
- Ancient, out-of-date or falling-apart board games
- Surplus packs of playing cards
- Previous versions of games consoles
- Computer/video games no one plays anymore.
Now won’t everyone have more fun with the good stuff that’s left?
The 30-Day Organize-athon Mantra
Move fast. Don’t overthink. Let it go!
Leave Your Comment Below…
Pease leave your comment below and say you’ve completed today’s task.
See you tomorrow!
[Image by aussiegall]
done…. No kids & currently no pets;
no board games or video games, . . .
. . . so I went after exercise equipment that I’m no longer able to use and then culled my houseplants–anything that can’t thrive on neglect and/or was getting brown at the edges
Thanks. I’m cultivating the mind set of ‘just do something’ & ‘do it now’
done
Done! No kids, but I straightened up our board game area,
No kids! Done!
Done.
Done! Dog toys, my toys… and one tiny drawer with kid toys for my niece when she visits. 🙂
Did this one two weeks ago…lets just say THAT is no 10 minute project for this house! It took 2 days of work! We did get rid of A LOT though, so it won’t even take 1/2 the time next time this needs to be done!
No kids. Tided up my board games!
done
Don’t have kids, BUT I did this for all my crafty/hobbie things…now i can look forward more to enjoying them =)
Done! Working on earning $$ for a summer trip…
Easy – only grandkids toys and they are in a small contained area. Done 🙂
no kids in the house — did the cats’ toys instead. : )
I cleaned up and sorted all my grand kids toys. Done.
Oh my gods! This definitly took more than 5 minutes for me. It is something I have been dreading for ages and I haven’t even tackled his closet yet because I’m afraid to open the door! How can one 5 year old have so many toys? He got so upset when I started going through his toy box and putting stuff into a trash and donation pile. There is a soon to be mom who lives in the apartment behind me and needs them so I tried to explain to him we’re being really nice by giving the new baby things because he doesn’t have any. Garrett is still pouting about it, but he’s happy about the new space in his room. He’s tallking about moving around his furniture now lol.
His closet is going to have to wait until next weekend after I fortify myself for a marathon cleaning spree!
i needed this…done!
I cleaned up the toys that I keep around for my nephew’s visits since I don’t have kids.
Done.
No kids. And our ‘games’ are pretty tidy. I cleaned out the dogs’ toys! (They’re like our kids anyway!) Timex (my boy) loves to pull all the stuffing out of his toys til he’s left with pretty much just a rag. And Seiko’s (my girl) toys get pretty grungy after awhile. Some things, like Kongs and rubber toys, I washed. Other things got tossed. Time to take my ‘watch dogs’ shopping for new play things!
Kids are grown… but cleaned out their old rooms