How to Organize Large Toy Playsets (and bulky toys)
Have you ever noticed that as your child gets bigger, so does their toy collection? So how do we even begin to organize large toy playsets and keep them from being an eyesore? Let me help you! Whether or not you have a playroom, you can find creative and efficient ways to store these larger toys in your home.
Can I organize large toy playsets without a playroom?
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Yes, it is possible to organize your kid's toys without having a playroom. One huge misconception is that kids need a dedicated playroom, and that's not true–so know that it's absolutely possible to organize larger toys without a dedicated playroom. Many different toy storage options will keep your kids' toys from spreading throughout the house.
Whether you want to keep all of their toys in their bedroom, have a designated space for toys in the living room, or even keep them in a flex room, it is possible to make even their largest toys look neat and organized without being an eyesore.
Should I create a playroom or space for my kids if I can?
I know that a playroom or play space is not always feasible, but I highly recommend it if you have the space. Having a playroom keeps all of your children’s toys in one space in your home. It also gives your children a sense of ownership (and brings back a sense of ownership to YOU for your adult spaces). They know that a playroom is their own space, where they can feel comfortable and use their imagination and creativity.
How to Store Big Bulky Toys & Playsets Without A Playroom
If you do not have a playroom, it is still possible to store big bulky toys and playsets in an organized and efficient way, even though this type of toy takes up a lot of space.
Designated Space
If you do not have a playroom, one idea may be to have a designated space in your living room where your child can play and keep all of their toys in one place. You will want to ensure a distinct separation in this room. One way to do this is to put a rug or foam flooring in the area you want to designate as a play area.
You can also do this by arranging your furniture to show a clear separation. Once it is set, you can store all of your child’s bulky toys and playsets in this designated space in storage boxes, and they won’t look like clutter spread throughout your house.
Closet Organization
Maximizing your closet space is very important if you do not have a playroom in your home! You can add shelving to extra closets (or remove shelving from closets) to create a space that can neatly hold your child's bulky toys like doll houses or even large stuffed animals.
Just keep in mind that storing them in a closet is a way to keep them out of sight when your kids are not using them, BUT also makes it less likely that they will play with these toy items if they are out of sight.
If you do not want to add shelving to your closet space, try using stackable bins in the closet. Just be careful to keep them organized. It is easy to let closets become cluttered, and then trying to get anything out is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle.
Use Storage Furniture
Using storage furniture is a very efficient way to store your children’s larger toys if you do not have a playroom in your home. This could be a couch with storage drawers, a bed with added storage, or a large decorative cabinet. Another popular option would be bench seating with storage.
Many bench seats can go into a living room or kitchen that opens up, and items can be stored inside of them. This is especially handy for storing large board games.
Store Large Toys in Kids’ Bedrooms
If your child does not have a playroom, you can make their bedroom the designated spot for their toys. You will still want to implement an organizational system, though. Use stackable bins and shelving, or create a storage system in their closet. You will want to ensure that every toy has a “home” so that their bedroom does not get cluttered.
Under the Bed Storage
For extra storage space, under-the-bed storage is another way to store bulky toys if your child has a bed that sits high enough off the ground. This is not possible with every bed but is a very efficient option when it is. You can even find containers specifically made to go underneath the bed and have wheels to make it easy to get them in and out.
How do you store big toys in a living room without them being an eyesore?
There are several ways to store your children’s larger toys in your living room without them being an eyesore. You can easily keep toys organized and hidden if you love an organization project.
Multi-Purpose Furniture
Using multi-purpose furniture is a great way to hide and store large toys. For example, there are a lot of coffee tables that come with large storage baskets that go on the bottom shelf. When you have company coming, tuck the toys away in one of these baskets. You can also find couches that provide storage under the cushions.
Many different ottomans are made with a top that opens for extra storage space. If you get creative with your furniture, you can easily store bulkier toys.
Decorative Containers
Decorative containers are another way to store your child’s toys. Larger baskets will hold these bulky toys and keep all of the pieces together. You can also use large printed bins with lids to store these toys. Containers are an ideal way to keep your house free of toy clutter.
Store Underneath Furniture
Storing larger toys, such as trucks and doll houses, underneath furniture is a way to keep them out of sight. If you have a couch that sits up high enough, you can buy storage bins that will fit underneath and hold the toys.
You can also store them in bins on the bottom of coffee tables or even underneath an ottoman. This is a great option if your furniture is high enough off of the ground to allow for extra storage.
Make sure that you keep all of the pieces that go with the larger toys organized in smaller bins or bags attached to the larger piece.
Designated Toy Space
If you have a designated toy space in your living room and they are all organized in this space, they won’t look like an eyesore. It will be clear to anyone who comes in that that space is a play area. If you want them to be hidden, store them in this area in large, opaque containers.
How To Organize Big Bulky Toys & Playsets With A Playroom
If you have a playroom, no matter how big or small, there are several ways that you can organize bulky toys and playsets and keep your house free from toy clutter. It is important to note that many of these larger playsets also come with smaller pieces. You will either want to store these pieces in a labeled bin or in a bag or container attached to the largest piece.
Use Closet Space
Closets in a playroom are a great place to store larger toys. If you keep toys such as building sets and game boards in their original boxes, they can easily be stacked in a closet. The shelves in the closet can also be adjusted to accommodate larger toys. If you want to keep them in containers, use large stackable storage containers.
Have labeled spots on the shelving
If you have shelves that are large enough to hold these toys, try to label the spot where they will belong, just as you would for craft supplies or smaller toys. That way, you and your child know where to put it when it is not being used and where to put any pieces that may go along with it.
Stackable Bins
Stackable bins are a good alternative to shelving and are one of my favorite toy storage ideas. Get large enough bins to hold the toys, which can be stacked on top of each other and stored out of the way.
This is a very efficient way to stack items and use your wall space. The only downfall to these is that you will have to help your child unstack them to get to the toys at the top, but they keep the toys organized and out of the way.
Use Laundry Baskets
Laundry baskets are an easy way to store large toys. You can find shelves at Ikea that are large enough to hold these baskets, and they easily slide in and out. You won't want to use these for anything smaller like art supplies or small toy cars. These smaller toys would fall through the sides.
How To Use Storage To Hide Large Kid's Toys
Using your storage to hide large kid toys is another way to keep them organized and out of the way when they are not being played with.
Use decorative storage
Using decorative storage such as large baskets or decorative bins will keep your kid's larger toys hidden.
Maximize closet space
Closets are the ideal place to store large toys and keep them hidden away. Use stackable storage bins, or adjust the shelves so each toy has a designated space.
Use fabric drawers
Fabric drawers have become a very popular way to hide toys. Ikea and Target make shelves that are large enough to hold bigger toys and fabric bins that will fit on these shelves. These come in all different colors and prints so that you can find drawers to match any room.
How to Organize Large Toy Trucks & Doll Houses
Large toy trucks and doll houses often go overlooked when planning toy storage and end up looking like an eyesore, but there are several efficient ways to store these specific toys.
Create a Parking Lot for Large Toy Trucks
I think that this is the cutest way to store toy trucks! You can do this on a shelf, in the garage, or even on a rug. If you do it in the garage, put tape on the ground to show where each goes. You can also do that on a shelf. This will make cleaning up their trucks a little more fun for your kiddos!
Use a shoe rack to store toy trucks.
This is a creative way to store your toy trucks – on a shoe rack. You won’t want one of them over-the-door racks – get the tiered shelf made out of metal or a wooden shelf with different levels. These can be stored on the floor or in a closet.
Have designated storage for smaller dollhouse pieces
We all know that a dollhouse is more than just a dollhouse – it has tons of accessories that come with it. Make sure you have a designated space for these, whether it is a bin, a bag, or any other system you use.
Mount a doll house to the wall.
This may sound silly, but some doll houses easily attach to the wall. Keep it low enough that your child can still reach it but high enough that you can store a bin underneath it with all the accessories.
Use a Multi-Purpose Doll House
Did you know that you can order a doll house that also serves as a bookshelf? The top few shelves hold books, and the bottom is set up like a dollhouse with which your kids can play. This makes it an efficient use of space and lets it serve as a multi-purpose storage piece.
