How Do You Store Toys in a Small Room?

With a little bit of creativity, you can store toys in a small living space without sacrificing the aesthetics of your home. For example, instead of finding more space in your home for toys, you can make space work for more than one function. Ottomans, storage tables, loft beds and TV stands can all be great places to display and store your child’s toys. 

Another key to kids’ toy storage ideas for small spaces is to think vertically. For example, storage solutions such as tiered shelves or wall hook units can help you unlock hidden storage space in every room of your home. 

1. Opt for Built-in Storage

Investing in furniture with built-in storage is a great way to organize your child’s space. Instead of spending time and effort looking for toy storage options that won’t take up too much space in your home, you can simply opt for functional and versatile built-in storage such as storage tables or storage beds.

2. Make the Most of Toy Boxes

Toy storage boxes are perfect for keeping all your kids’ toys and belongings together so that they aren't littered around their room or your home. Plus, they can also serve as a nightstand beside your child’s bed, a seating option in the playroom and even a footrest.

3. Place Art Supplies in a Pouch

Organizing the kids’ art room can be a nightmare, especially after a spontaneous painting session. To keep the floor and activity tables clean, make sure to give each kid a pouch to put their art supplies in. After they’re done with a paint brush or marker, remind them to place it back to where it belongs.

4. Consider Canvas Storage Baskets

Canvas storage baskets are perfect for little ones since they offer a soft solution without sharp corners and fun patterns to complement any decor. Pick baskets with handles to make it easy to transport toys to another room and move around the playroom for easy cleanup.

5. Install Wall Hooks

A set of wall hooks is a great way to free up space by keeping toys off the floor. Plus, it can double as a place to hang your kids’ backpacks and thick jackets.

6. Utilize Space Under a Loft Bed

The best thing about a loft bed is the amount of space underneath it. With a new home for their toys right underneath their bed, your little ones will no longer have to worry about tripping over their clunky action figures or dolls on the floor.

7. Store Toys in the Dollhouse

A dollhouse not only provides your little one with endless opportunities for imagination, but it can also serve as a storage space for all of their other tiny toys. If your child loves playing with dolls, their dollhouse can act as a storage area when playtime is over.

8. Declutter Using a Small Rug

If your kids share the same playroom, giving them each a place to put their toys away at the end of playtime will make your life so much easier. Try getting each kid a small rug that designates their storage space. When playtime ends, they can stack up all their toys on their rug to keep the room tidy.

9. Get a Toy Wagon

The house can quickly become a mess when your kids take out a bunch of toys all at once. To relieve your headache, consider getting them a toy wagon so that they can keep the house tidy on the go!

10. Add a Pinboard or Pegboards

Pinboards and pegboards are perfect storage solutions for any home. With these boards, you can organize everything from your kid’s arts-and-crafts supplies to your favorite family snapshots. Accessories like hooks and pins can also help you secure all the different toys in place.

11. Make Use of Every Corner

If you’re tight on space, opt for corner storage units so you can optimize every square inch of the house. These units can fit perfectly in the corner of your kid’s room between two beds, which is great for added storage and convenience.

12. Decorate the Room with Fun Storage Baskets

Storage baskets don't have to be plain and boring. There are tons of storage baskets that come in creative shapes and designs, so you can make your kid’s playroom cuter and tidier at the same time!

13. Think Vertically with Tier Shelves

When it comes to maximizing space in your home and coming up with storage solutions, it’s important to think vertically. Most of the time, stacking items on top of each other will save more space than spreading them out horizontally. Consider installing wall shelves in your home to keep toys off the ground and achieve a tidier living space.

14. Organize and Display Toys with Photo Ledges

Is your kid obsessed with toy cars and a superhero figures collection? Create a space to hold and display these toys in the playroom or bedroom with photo ledges. Now, you’ve created a more fun and colorful room, and your little one can also appreciate their collections without having to search for them in the toy box every time.

15. Use a Toy Kitchen as Storage

For the little chefs in your house, their play kitchen can also double as toy storage when the pretend restaurant closes for the night. Tuck away all of their cooking supplies inside the cabinets. This way, not only do your kids get to have fun, but you also won’t have to worry about making more space in the house for their cooking sessions.

16. Invest in a Media Wall System

If there’s enough space in your kid’s playroom or bedroom, a media wall system might be the perfect toy storage solution for you. With several open cubbies, drawers and storage areas, you can easily organize your child’s toys without worrying about running out of space.

17. Make It Fun with Toy Dispensers

Make your child’s playroom look like an awesome arcade with toy dispensers. Not only will these help keep toys organized and easy to access, but they’ll also make it convenient to spot any favorites that have gone missing.

18. Put Ottomans to Use

Ottomans are great for storing toys because they double as a footrest. Apart from the bedroom, ottomans also make fantastic storage options for the living room, entrance ways or playrooms.

19. Place Small Toys in Storage Caddies

Maintaining a tidy playroom can make play so much more fun. Storage caddies are a great portable storage option to help you keep your kid’s toys off the ground when playtime is over. This way, you won’t have to worry about cleaning up a big mess afterwards.

20. Designate a Playroom

A designated area for toys and games is key to co-living with kids in harmony. Having kids in the house doesn’t mean that your living area has to be messy. By choosing a specific room for fun and chaos, you can make sure that your home is organized and kept under control as much as possible.

21. Color Code Books

If your kids love to read, but you often find yourself tripping over piles of books on the floor or having trouble finding a specific book, consider categorizing them by color and placing them on the bookshelf. This way, you can much more easily access them and also create a more aesthetically pleasing and organized reading room for your kids.  

22. Showcase Tiny Toys on Mini Bookshelves

If your little ones have a bunch of tiny toys that often get lost in the house, gather them up and display them on a mini bookshelf so that they always have a permanent home. Besides, every toy should be appreciated and taken care of.

23. Organize and Decorate with Art Cables

Art time is always fun! But when you don’t know what to do with all the artwork that your kids have created, it can be quite overwhelming. Instead of piling them up in a box or throwing them under the bed, hang them up with art cables to brighten up and decorate the walls!

24. Stay Organized with an Activity Table

Adaptable furniture is one of the best investments you can make with little kids that are growing taller each day. An activity table not only has the ability to adapt to different heights, but also has plenty of storage space underneath. It is the perfect storage solution for your child’s playroom.

25. Create a Toy Storage in Small Spaces

Having little kids at home often means having lots of little cars, planes, dinosaurs, action figures and blocks laying around. Instead of dumping all of these items into one big toy box, you can organize them by creating toy storage shelves in small spaces.

26. Secure Them in a Sturdy Basket

Don’t know where to put all the dolls, toy trains or dress-up clothes laying around in your house? Baskets are a great alternative to toy storage boxes. You can keep them off the floor with large hooks and attach them to the wall, and easily take them down when your kids want to play with the toys.

27. Tidy Up with a Bath Toy Storage Organizer

Don’t forget about their bath toys! Even though bath toys are usually used in the bathtub, they still need a designated spot so that the space can stay squeaky clean. With a bath toy organizer, you can make sure each rubber ducky has a home to go to after playtime.

28. Consider Multipurpose Furniture Storage

You don’t need a designated storage spot to get creative! Tuck a bin under your children’s nightstand, stack blocks on top of their dresser or pick a drawer for little items that would otherwise get lost. You can also consider investing in a multipurpose storage option such as  tables that include drawers and cubbies for art projects, tea party sets and more playtime favorites.

29. Get Creative with Bookshelves

Reading at a young age is just as important as play, so instead of just reserving your children’s bookshelves for books, use them for multiple purposes. Store their favorite toys on the lower shelves for easy access and books on the top shelves to bring out at bedtime.

30. Label Everything

Toy room organization may seem like a daunting task, but labeling your toy storage bins will make this process so much easier. With each bin designated to a certain category of toys, you can teach your kids organization skills during cleanup, and also know exactly where each toy is stored.

31. Make Use of Totes

Totes aren’t just for beach days! When it comes to toy organization ideas, they can come in handy as well. After filling them up with toys, hang them up on wall hook units or in the closet for easier access.

32. Take Advantage of Laundry Hampers

Laundry hampers are great for storage since they are usually lightweight and portable. Next time you’re shopping for laundry hampers, consider purchasing a few more to store those basketballs and fluffy stuffed animals.

33. Showcase Toys on a Nightstand

Do your kids always have to hold their toys or at least have them nearby when it’s bedtime? Instead of throwing all of the toys onto the bed and making a big mess, display them on the nightstand! This way, your kids can easily access their toys in bed and place them back where they belong right before falling asleep.

34. Use the Closet

Designate a few lower shelves in your child’s closet for some baskets and bins to hold all of their toys. Larger items such as fluffy stuffed animals can sit on the floor underneath their hanging clothes. This way, you can put toys out of sight and keep the bedroom tidy for bedtime.

35. Monogram Each Box

Monogramming each toy box is especially helpful if you have multiple kids and they all have similar toys. When it comes to playtime, the last thing you’ll want is your children fighting over toys. With each box clearly labeled, everyone will know which toys belong to who.

36. Gather Toys in a Shopping Cart

Kid-size shopping carts are not only the perfect complement for pretend kitchen and play food sets, but they can also serve as a storage space for toys that your little one likes to carry while out on a grocery trip!

37. Make Use of Under Bed Space

Making use of under-bed space can give you the extra square footage you need in a cramped room. If your kids like to spread out their toys across their room, tucking toys underneath the bed in an organized way will allow them to quickly clean up the mess in no time!

38. Decorate and Organize with Acrylic Wall Pockets

Not sure how to display your kid’s toys in an organized yet aesthetically-pleasing way? Make stylish organization a priority by investing in a decorative shelving unit. You can use it for everything from stashing loose toy items to fluffy stuffed animal storage.

39. Organize Puzzle Pieces in a Bento Box

Realizing you’re missing a puzzle piece after you’re almost done assembling the puzzle can be so disappointing. To never have to worry about losing puzzle pieces in your home, store them in closed containers such as bento boxes. Whenever playtime is over, place the unused pieces back into the container to keep everything safe.

40. Put Them Away in a Packing Cube

Who says packing cubes are only for traveling? When it comes to organizing toys, packing cubes can definitely come in handy, especially for toys that aren’t used as much. Since packing cubes come in all shapes and sizes, you can get as many as you need to keep everything organized.

41. Sort Toys by Color

Organizing toys by color not only makes your kids’ playroom much more aesthetically pleasing, but it also helps them gain color recognition as they practice putting their toys in the correct color category after playtime. What a great way to tidy up the room while educating your little ones!

42. Use a Window Ledge

Using a window ledge to organize and display toys is a great way to utilize readily available resources around your home. Not only does it make accessing toys a lot more convenient, but it also brings color and fun to your home decor.

43. Frame Artwork

If you’re not a big fan of paper clutter but want to preserve your child’s precious artwork, one of the best ways to do so is to frame them up and hang them in your child’s bedroom or art room. Don’t forget to get creative with colored garland and sparkly pegs to decorate your child’s art gallery.

44. Donate Toys to Charity