How to Purge Toys

A cold day in October I pulled out Luke’s toy cars.  We were doing a big toy purge and his cars were the reason the garbage sacks came out that day.  I was finding them everywhere: in the bathroom by the toilet, under my feet in the kitchen, under the fireplace, on shelves in the dining room.  Everywhere.  I brought all of them to the living room, the cars in his basket in his room as well as the cars in the ziplock baggie in the toy closet.  Friends, he had over 70 cars.  When I counted them out, it took me a minute to wrap my head around this number.  What five year old needs 70 cars?  (He has two hands like the rest of us.)

In five minutes we whittled his collection down to 30 cars, a number still a bit high for me, but it was progress.  We proceeded to go through the toy closet, playroom, and bedrooms, donating dress up clothes, a bunch of play food, puzzles, and other small forgotten toys.  We did a big purge that day and reduced our toy stash by almost a fourth.

And afterwards?  The scene was better than expected.  Three children playing happily with the remaining whittled down toys.  A borderline miracle.

Toy simplicity has been something I have been aware of since before I started having babies.  Although I was aware of it, I didn’t understand the weight or importance of it until I actually had some children to play with all the toys.

Kim John Payne and Lisa Ross, authors of Simplicity Parenting, write in their book: ‘A smaller, more manageable quantity of toys invites deeper play and engagement.  An avalanche of toys invites emotional disconnect and a sense of overwhelm.’

Not only can toys be overwhelming for our kids, but let’s be honest, they can be overwhelming for us.

Piles and bins and boxes of toys require organization, pick up, care, and attention.  What if we clear some of the excess and make room for the most beloved toys?  Like a capsule wardrobe, what if kids get to play with their favorites everyday?  If you are ready to do a big toy purge in your home, here is the process I use:

How to Purge (all the) Toys

1. First, be convinced that less is better. Less toys mean your child or children will be able to focus on the toys they have and will foster better engagement and deeper play.  If you need some more information check out this post here.
2. Collect all your toys in one room. If you need to do a big overhaul, don’t include the kids.  I promise you, they will profess their undying love for every. single. toy. If you include them on a big purge you will get rid of exactly 0 toys.
3. Look for three categories of toys: any toys that are broken or missing parts, toys your child has outgrown, multiples.  Begin to make two piles: donate or throw away. Look at your pile and pick out the toys that fit any of the categories above and put them in the donate or throw away pile.  This will eliminate lots of toys right away.  For you sentimental mommas, this could be hard.  Help yourself through it by thinking about another child getting value from a toy your child no longer uses.
4. Look at what you have left and ask yourself: What toys do my kids actually play with?  Are there any toys that play super loud music and make you want to pull your hair out?  Are there any toys that do ‘too much’ and break easily?  No one said you have to keep those toys forever.  It’s okay to let them go.
5. Find the space you are going to keep the toys. Give yourself a finite amount of room.  Limits are good, friends.  Put the toys in that space and make it visually appealing and uncluttered.  Box up the rest of the toys for a ‘toy library’ located in a closet, the garage, or basement.  Make sure the box is solid and not see-through so if your kids happen to catch a glimpse of it, there isn’t a massive meltdown.  Use the toy library to rotate toys every few months.
6. You did it!  Pat yourself on the back, grab your favorite drink, and put your feet up.  Invite your kids into the space and watch the magic happen.  You just created a space your kids are going to love.

For our family, owning less toys makes sense.  It makes life easier because there is less to care for and pick up.  It also allows for deeper, more meaningful play.  Luke can only fit one car in each hand anyway.  Those 70 cars he ‘owned’ weren’t bringing him joy, it was the play he engaged in creating towns and worlds with them that brought him joy.

Are you ready to do a big toy purge?  Here is a FREE PRINTABLE to help you through it.

I would love to know if you are doing a toy purge in your home!