Imagine, if you will, a world where your kids have just as much fun putting their toys away as they do playing with them.
The Toy Tamer, Evelyn Cucchiara’s Basking Ridge–based company that creates playrooms that kids can’t wait to clean up, uses an organizational method—not Mary Poppins–style magic—to turn decluttering into a competitive game.
“Kids love it because they crave organization,” says Cucchiara, who has created hundreds of everything-in-its-place playrooms in New York and New Jersey. “And my method puts them in charge of something and gives them immediate gratification.”
Cucchiara, author of the 2011 Amazon best seller 30 Days to an Organized Home, one-time owner of a day-care center and a children’s art studio and the mother of three boys, founded The Toy Tamer five years ago to help young families.
“I’m somewhat of a unicorn,” she says. “There are many companies that specialize in organizing adult spaces, but I’m the only one who specializes in playroom organization and a system that works with kids.”
Parents aren’t the only ones who are pleased with the tidy results.
“Recently, one kid told me, ‘I’ve always wanted this in my playroom.’”
The Toy Tamer’s 4-Step S.A.N.E. Method
SORT
Go through everything and throw out all the toys that are broken, outgrown, unused or that don’t make your kids smile.
ARRANGE
The object is to store like with like. The correct storage units—white shelving with half-size bins that never go out of style and that are designed for function over form—are imperative for success. Size matters: The bins should be light enough for children to pull out and shallow enough so they can easily place toys in and out of them and also see what’s inside without digging.
NAME
Photo labels of the child’s actual toys, hung above each bin instead of on the bin, make it easy on the brain to match each toy with its image.
EVERYONE
All the children get in the cleaning-up act via an exercise that allows them to take pride of ownership and to stretch their boss muscles. The rules are simple: A parent asks each child to guess a number between 1 and 10. The child who guesses the correct number gets to ring a concierge’s bell, and then it becomes a race to see who can put the toys away the fastest. When all items are stored, another child gets to ring the bell to end the game.
“We’re raising kids who can’t do anything because we do everything for them. Then we’re surprised when they grow up, and they can’t do anything. Skills don’t just appear when the kids become teens—they need to practice them.”
“The playroom is the perfect learning lab but only if it’s set up the right way. Schools have organizational systems that teach kids important skills. Putting an organizational system in your playroom at home teaches your kids executive functioning skills they need for life.”
“Mom guilt is real, but completely misplaced. Trying to organize your playroom without the right storage units and system is like trying to organize your kitchen without kitchen cabinets. Things get moved around but never put away, and it’s a mess again as soon as the kids start playing.”