It’s officially summer! I don’t know about your house but here, the kids are running around enjoying summer, we’re swimming every day and filling the sidewalk with chalk drawings. Today I’m going to share a few tips for how to organize outdoor items from pool toys, towels, outdoor games, etc. These tips have all come from experience, I’ve tried lots of different things but these are the ones that have worked the best and stood the test of time! 🙂
#1 Pool toys
Pool toys are the worst! I don’t know how, but they always end up everywhere. A few years ago I came up with the idea to use a 3-drawer organizer which has been a huge help keeping the toys organized! Each of the drawers are labeled so the kids know where to find things, and most importantly, where to put them back.
I even have a drawer for goggles because it never fails that someone forget theirs when they come over.
In the few years we’ve had a pool I’ve learned that noodles, if left in the water all summer long, will disintegrate and leave pieces of plastic floating all over the pool. This year I decided to use a hamper to store them, so when we’re done in the pool, we gather them up and toss them in the hamper. This keeps them organized and will help them last longer.
#2 Sunscreen
Even if you don’t have a pool, it’s important to always have sunscreen sitting out, available for you kids, and guests. Find a cute caddy, and put your sunscreen in it, then set it out in a prominent location so everyone remembers to put it on.
#3 Towels
Whether your running in the sprinklers, playing in the dirt or swimming in the pool, having towels available is a must. We used to store our towels upstairs with our linens but then we’d always forget to bring one down with us, so this year I bought this cute basket at Target, rolled all my towels up, put them in the basket and placed them by the door. Now every time we head outside, we grab a towel on our way out.
#4 Other random toys
We also have a lot of other random outside play things, like sidewalk chalk, sprinklers, bubble blowers, bike helmets and more! To store all these random toys, years ago, I bought this metal cabinet at an antique store. I know they sell lots of expensive storage cabinets at the hardware store but I recommend finding something like this at a garage sale or thrift store. It doesn’t need to be pretty, it’s just hanging out in the garage. 🙂
To organize all the toys, label individual containers and set them on the shelves. This makes it easy for kids to find their toys, and also keep them organized, because they know where to put them away.
#5 Large toys
For large toys, like bikes, snowboards, etc., utilize the vertical space in your garage.
A couple years ago I purchased some hooks and bike hanger and it has been great having additional room on the garage floor, now that they’re all hanging on the wall.
These are all the outdoor organization tips that have helped me from ripping my hair out this summer, but I’d love to hear your ideas! I know the topic of organizing kids’ toys is a big one so let’s start a conversation! How do you organize your kids’ toys?
If you want to implement some of these tricks into your home, here’s what you’ll need –
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