Toy organizer ideas for small toys. As a toy blogger who has a lot of toys, I am always looking for the best ways to organize our toys so that they can be easily stored and pulled out for play. These organizers are clear for easy view and include nesting storage ideas to utilize space.

Small Toy Organization Tips

I have tried my fair share of toy organizers especially considering I am constantly getting and sharing new toys. I am constantly reworking our space so that it’s functional in our home, for me as a content creator, and of course for my kids. When your toys are organized your children are able to participate better in productive play while learning that everything as their place which in turn helps with clean up time. Clean up is a part of play and having your toys organized makes it a lot easier for your kids to be autonomous in that clean up time. Organizing small toys is especially crucial to keep toys of the same category together, maintain sanity, and keep the mouthing babies safe.

Use Clear Containers

It’s important to have clear containers so that you and your children know exactly what’s inside. When we use bins that don’t let us see the toy contents, even with labels, we forget some of the fun components of the toys and they end up not getting used as much. So use clear containers so you not only know exactly what you have, but also so that you know what toys you can now let go of allowing more space to organize the new items coming in.

Get a Storage Shelf

Having a storage shelf to put clear bins into helps you to utilize a lot of the unused vertical space in your home or classrooms. We personally use a large storage unit in a closet for our toy storage. This allows us to be able to visibly see all of the toys that we have while having less out in our main play space. We then rotate our toys according to our children’s interest (more on toy rotation in the section below).

Categorize Toys

Once you have your storage shelf and some clear containers, it’s important to categorize your toys so that similar toys are in the same area. This has personally saved me multiple times when I think of a specific toy and I can’t quite remember exactly where it is. I know that the cars are in one area, puzzles another, light table toys another etc. So that I can easily find exactly what I am looking for in the moment.

Add Labels

With clear containers, adding labels isn’t necessarily necessary, but it makes you feel like your organization went to the next level. Adding labels is also a really great idea for your kids! The labels help enhance reading and literacy skills. As a child development specialist I am definitely pro labels, but I also like them for myself as well. I use our cricut and vinyl to label our bins as well as our label maker (of course my favorite is the clear tape rolls).

Favorite Toy Organizers For Small Items

Clear Hard Organizers

Here are some of my must have organizers for toys. I am a big fan of the Brightroom clear containers at Target. This one with separate drawers is one of my favorites as well. If you like the frosted look, we also love these Brightroom bins that come with lids for only $5. I also love the Home Edit line of containers at Wal-Mart. If you’ve been around for awhile you know I often use the small “photo” containers from Michaels that are now viral (I swear I shared them first! haha). Never buy these full price. They go on sell often for around $15 (comes in rainbow and clear).

We also love the clear up and up hard pencil cases from Target for around $5, but these only come back in stock in the summer during back to school season. Maple and Lark (discount code: RYLEE10) have similar containers in large, medium, and small and we use those with a lot of our toys as well and we absolutely love them.

Soft Clear Bag Organizers

Clear bags are also a great idea for your small toy items. These bags are especially great for puzzle pieces, small doll accessories, flash cards, activity pages, or a bag to throw into your diaper bag for on the go. You also can’t beat the price! This set comes in a 3 pack for only $13.

Clear Plastic Jars with Lids

I’m a big fan of these plastic jars with lids from Discount School Supply. They are perfect for tiny toy organization. We also love using them in sensory play and for mixing colors. There truly are so many uses for these jars and one of the best parts is they aren’t fragile! Perfect for kids to use. We use ours on a lazy susan so that it’s easy to rotate and find the jars we are lookin for.

How To Rotate Toys

Create a System That Works For You

If you are into a set routine you can rotate toys every other week or monthly. Weekly is too often in my opinion because it doesn’t allow the child enough time to get into their play, unless they just truly have been unengaged the entire week before. I tried a schedule and it didn’t really work for me, so I simply rotate my toys when I can tell they are getting less and less play time.

Toy Closet: Only put out as much as you’re willing to clean up

We have a toy closet where we keep most of our toys. We don’t put out as many toys because it tends to be overwhelming for children and less productive play happens. With fewer toy out my kids will begin play and then tell me what items they need for their play from the toy closet. Then I follow their lead.

Let The Child Lead

I try to let the child lead and get out the toys they think will add to their play. If they are interested in a toy we have in our closet they must put away another toy before getting a new one out or they have to make sure to clean up the new toy they got out and it goes back in the toy closet by the end of the day.

Get the links with images on my LTK here. Need help getting your kids to keep their toys clean? Check my simple chore system that works!