Toy Organization Idea: Busy Boxes

After the whirlwind rush of the holidays, it seems like we’ve got toys covering most of our house. As if we didn’t already have enough, now we’ve got even more trains and legos and balls. And while they have been fun and entertaining for my toddler so far, I know that the new will wear off eventually.

So I decided to take matters into my own hands and set up some Busy Boxes using his toys.

I separated his toys into six plastic tubs — one each weekday and one for the weekend. I store the boxes on a small bookshelf in a corner of our family room.

I made sure to have an assortment of items in each tub — blocks, cars, stuffies, books, etc. Variety is key.

We open each day’s box in the morning, and those are the toys he can play with that day. At the end of the day, the toys go back in their box and on the shelf.

The first few days, he kept wanting to open other boxes. But I was firm, and now, he looks forward to opening the boxes in the morning, and helping putting toys up in the afternoon. It’s become sort of a ritual.

It’s a nice system for Mommy because it keeps toys from exploding all over the house. Plus, my son likes discovering what’s in the day’s box. It’s like he gets a box full of new toys every day. And it helps teach him responsibility for picking up after himself.

Want to make a set of your own?

Click here to download printable labels that you can use to create your own Busy Boxes.

How do you try to keep the “new” in new toys for your kids?

Share tips with us in the comments!