45 Toy Organization Ideas for Small Spaces

45 Toy Organization Ideas for Small Spaces

Kids bring an incredible amount of joy into our lives.

They also bring an avalanche of building blocks, stuffed animals, and puzzle pieces!

When you live in an apartment or a cozy home, finding room for all those wonderful playthings can feel like a massive challenge.

You might find yourself stepping on stray plastic bricks or constantly shifting piles just to sit on your own sofa.

If you are currently looking around your living room and wondering, “why should I choose toy organization ideas for small spaces?”, you are in exactly the right place!

By embracing some clever, space-saving storage strategies, you will regain your floor space and reduce daily stress.

Top Toy Storage Strategies for Cozy Homes

Now that you know exactly why you should prioritize organizing, let’s look at a few of our absolute favorite ways to make it happen.

We are thrilled to share these game-changing tips with you!

Go Vertical with Wall Storage

When you lack floor space, look up!

Installing floating shelves or hanging organizers on the wall is a brilliant way to store items without eating into your walking area.

Use clear acrylic shelves to display beautiful wooden toys or favorite books.

It acts as adorable decor while keeping things perfectly organized.

Multi-Purpose Furniture is Your Best Friend

We are obsessed with furniture that works overtime!

Storage ottomans, benches with hidden compartments, and coffee tables with deep drawers are absolute lifesavers in small homes.

You can quickly toss the stuffed animals and craft supplies inside when guests come over, completely hiding the fact that your living room is also a busy toddler zone.

The Power of Toy Rotation

If you have a small home, you simply cannot have every single toy out at once. Implementing a toy rotation system will change your life!

Store a large portion of your child’s toys in a closet or under a bed.

Every few weeks, swap out the items.

The “old” toys will feel brand new and exciting to your kids, and your living room will remain incredibly tidy.

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Some of the amazing following photos are not my own, click on them to head straight to the source!)

01 | LEGOS

The struggle of stepping on Legos is way too real. If you need some sort of organizing solution for the chaos that Legos cause, physically and mentally, then you may want to check out these toy organizing ideas.

02 | BARBIES & DOLLS

From teeny tiny shoes and eighty different wardrobe changes, Barbies and dolls have a knack for being difficult to organize. Check out some of these toy organizing ideas below to get inspired.

  • To keep nicer dolls from ending up on the floor or shoved into a toy chest why not create a DIY doll storage display that can hang on the wall? A spot for each doll is sure to get clutter under control and keep dolls looking nice.
  • Fill a dresser with shallow bins to help organize small doll items that either end up lost or in the vacuum!
  • Dolls need closets too! Use a smaller bookcase to keep all doll clothes organized. These fun spinning clothing racks are a fun way to keep clothes in one area.
  • Install some inexpensive spice drawer holders to hold dolls and or ponies.
  • A hanging plastic shoe holder is a fun way to have a designated space for each Barbie doll. Make it even more fun for your kid by labeling each holder with the Barbie’s name so they know exactly where to put her back!

03 | BOOKS

Encourage even more reading by organizing your kids’ books in unique and fun ways they will absolutely love.

  • Stack and organize books in a rolling tiered cart. What’s great about these carts is you can move them out of sight when you need to.
  • Forget the old tired bookshelf and install shallow shelves to forward face books for a fun way to display them.
  • Just like the cases that used to hold records, DIY something similar for your kids to go thumb through when picking out their favorites to read.
  • If your kid has a lot of books why not install thin floating shelves? Better yet, color code the books to the rainbow to make a fun reading area!
  • Mix and match different styles of displaying books. A cube storage unit is great for books and toys, while thin shelves can hold books and unique knick-knacks.

04 | PUZZLES & GAMES

Whether you have a few or a few dozen, board games and puzzles have one thing in common, they are difficult to organize! With boxes of all different shapes and sizes, sometimes we got to get a little creative when organizing our games and puzzles.

  • Ditch the box and opt for a zippered bag. Filing zippered storage bags takes up a lot less space than stacking bulky boxes.
  • Find matching stack-able plastic storage containers. Reduce how much space odd packing causes for the same amount of pieces!
  • One large crate or two can be a quick way to organize a small amount of smaller games.
  • Utilize a cabinet. Maybe you have too many games and they deserve their own dedicated space instead of being spread all around the home.
  • Cube storage is a brilliant and easy way to organize a lot of different items in a very uniform way.

Related Read

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05 | LARGE COLLECTIONS

As kids grow they start to fall in love with certain toys. Before you know it they have a collection bigger than their room! Whatever your kid decided to collect it only makes sense to create some sort of clever toy organizing ideas.

  • Tiered wire hanging baskets (often used for the kitchen) help utilize lost vertical space. This is a great place to store large collections of smaller toys.
  • Does your kid have a toy car obsession? Why not do something fun and unique and install a thin shallow wall display case. Organize by color to make it more fun!
  • Wooden crates are incredibly useful, especially when housing hot wheels! Hold onto your paper towel tubes and create a parking garage to hold large toy car collections.
  • Play-doh is a beloved toy for every generation. If your child has every color and every play set imaginable, it might be smart to invest in a rolling cart to help keep it all organized together.
  • Take your kid’s Nerf Gun collection to the next level by creating their own Nerf Gun wall! Use peg board to create their own little armory.

06 | ART & CRAFT SUPPLIES

Art & craft supplies have a knack for getting disorganized fast. Not to mention they also have a tendency to end up all over your home. If your kid is the next Van Gogh, it may be time to get their art & craft supplies a little more organized.

  • These rainbow pull-out drawer organizers are not only fun but also help get things easily organized.
  • Mix and match bins, baskets, and drawers. Use different shapes, varieties, and sizes to make sure everything has a home.
  • Invest in a 3-tiered rolling cart…or two. What a great way to keep all supplies neatly organized together with the convenience of being able to move them from room to room.
  • Create a permanent art station. Add a pegboard to the wall to keep all supplies organized and easy to find.
  • Dedicated a closet to all the arts & crafts supplies your child uses. Use bins, trays, and labels to help everyone easily find things and put things back.

07 | STUFFED ANIMALS

Your kids might have a few cherished and loved stuffed animals, or they may have an entire zoo you need to tame within their play areas. Try some of these fun and unique ways organized and store stuffed animals.

  • Zip em’ up! This stuffed animal stuffed bean bag doubles as an extra seat!
  • If you got a zoo of stuffed animals, might as well get the zoo tamed. These DIY bungee cord zoo stuffed animal holders are all the rage!
  • Hammocks aren’t just for people anymore! These adorable corner hammocks are perfect for lightweight stuffed animal storage.
  • Hanging baskets are a great way to store toys and stuffed animals. The best part is they can be hung at the perfect level for your kid.
  • Mixed and matched crates can create a beautiful display to fill with loved stuffed animals.

08 | LARGE BULKY TOYS

Only if all toys were the same size…. *sigh* Well the truth is they aren’t… From awkward sizes to unusual shapes, we must learn to accept this challenge and face it head-on! Check out some of these brilliant large bulky toy organizing ideas.

  • Use crates to create the shapes & sizes that you need to store oddball toys like the oversized trucks you see below.
  • Shallow bins won’t work for balls and bats. Try to find a few slim and tall bins for an easy storage solution.
  • Dedicate a closet if you got it! Utilize all various shelf sizes to store toys by size.
  • Use open bookshelves and display all large and bulky toys making them easy to grab and play with and even easier to put away.
  • Large bins and baskets are one of the easiest ways to hide large bulky toy clutter.

09 | OUTDOOR TOYS

If you want your kids to get out into the fresh outdoors and out of the house then your going to have to deal with the outside toy clutter. Don’t worry though, there are dozens of excellent ways to organize outdoor toys that you and your family will love!

  • Tired of having to tell your kids to pick up their scooters and bikes off of the floor? This clever DIY parking station is a brilliant way to coax your kids to keep their stuff organized.
  • Need more space? Install a wire shelving unit with some oversized large bins with labels.
  • If you have built-in storage think about installing some much-needed pull-out drawers. Clever organizing hacks like tension rods & bungee cords create instant outdoor ball storage.
  • Stack-able bins, large laundry baskets, and wall storage can create the perfect outdoor toy storage organizing station.
  • Don’t have room in the garage to spare for bulky outdoor toys? Think about creating a DIY outdoor toy shed to store bikes, scooters, and equipment.

Taking control of the toys in your home is a wonderfully empowering step.

You do not have to live in a sprawling house to create a beautiful, organized, and fun environment for your family.

By utilizing toy organization ideas for small spaces you can create a cozy haven that works perfectly for everyone.

Happy Decluttering!

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