In the weeks after Christmas, it can be a struggle to get a handle on all of the new toys (and stuff in general!) that has made its way into our homes. While I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the gifts and love that have been showered on my children, I can get overwhelmed by the sheer number of new toys and trying to figure out what to do with it all! So how do we deal with all of the clutter and get control of the toys? Here are four simple methods for getting organized and keeping the toys from taking over your home:

1. Establish a “one toy in, one toy out” rule. Teach your kids that in order to make room for all of the new toys they receive for Christmas or their birthdays, they have to first make room by passing on some of their current toys to other children in need. Have them participate in the process to teach them gratitude and giving and so they don’t feel cheated when they discover a toy missing.

2. Sort and keep toys in sets. Find cute boxes, bins or bags to store similar toys together. For example, you might have a set of cars, a set of Little People, a set of Littlest Pet Shop and a set of G.I. Joes. Keeping the toys in sets makes the next tip easier to implement.

3. Rotate your toys. Given too many choices, kids actually play less with their toys. Rather than making all of their toys accessible at once, put most of them out of reach and pull out 2-3 sets at a time. You’ll want to include a variety of toys with each rotation (i.e., puzzles, a set of Barbies and an electronic toy such as the Leap Frog Letter Factory). Rotate the sets regularly, every 1 to 2 weeks, to keep their interest peaked.

4. At the end of every day, clean up all of the toys that are out. I don’t know how it is in your house, but if I don’t do this on a regular basis, I inevitably discover missing pieces that I never seem to find. By cleaning up the toys every day, I’m able to see right away what’s missing and have a better handle on where the missing pieces might be.

Although mine are still young, I have a feeling that this is a never-ending battle throughout our children’s lives. However, having a plan in place to deal with all of the toys at least gives us some control over the situation and a place to start.

Photo by dazed81

Mandi Ehman is a WAHM to three little girls (4, almost-3 and 1). She can be found sharing her organizational and time management tips at Organizing Your Way and making the most of every moment with her girls at Doodles’ Place