An extremely common complaint in many homes is that the toys are over-running the house. Parents complain that there are toys in every room, and despite the huge number of toys available, their children constantly complain that they are bored and have absolutely nothing to do!

The reality is, a lot of children really do have too many toys. They have toys in their bedroom, they have toys in the family room, they have toys in a playroom, and if the house has a basement, there are even more toys there!

Being able to provide too many toys for our children is obviously a great problem to have, but the truth is that doesn’t make it any less of a problem! Children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, or a range of other needs can easily become overwhelmed by having too many toys.

Some children can handle having tons of toys without issues, they can easily remember what they have, recall where they’re located, and choose which one they want to use. For other children, however, having too many toys can be extremely overwhelming. These children end up “stuck.” They don’t play with anything because they don’t even know where to begin. If this description sounds like your child, keep reading for ideas on getting a handle on your toys.

Organizing toys can also be extremely helpful for classrooms. So if you’re a teacher, keep reading – this post will be helpful for you too!

How can I tell if my child is overwhelmed by toys

Unsure if too many toys is an issue in your house? If your child is overwhelmed, they’ll let you know through their behaviors. You may notice your child doesn’t play with anything at all. You may notice your child plays with the same 1 or 2 toys all the time. You may notice your child needs someone to play with him or her, and if nobody plays with him or her, your child won’t play at all. Any of these behaviors suggests you may need to organize your toys and help your child better understand the options.

How choice boards can help

An easy eay to organize toys is to create a choice board of all the toy options. Choice boards are like visual menus of all the available options.

Choice boards help children because they provide structure that makes the huge number of choices more manageable. Rather than have to look around a room filled with toys and try to pick from what they can see (and what they can’t see) a choice board shows the child all the options in one place. Its the difference between going to a restaurant and the waiter asking you what you want to eat based on your memory of everything the restaurant serves and being given a menu.

If you have to order based on your memory, you’re likely to keep picking the same few options every time you go, ask the waiter for help, or get frustrated. When kids have to pick a toy from a chaotic playroom, they’re going to pick the same things they always pick, whine to their parents for ideas, or get overwhelmed and not do much of anything.

Having a menu of foods helps you choose from your options so you can select exactly what you want. Having a choice board of toys helps children choose from their options in much the same way.

Step 1: Planning

If you think all the toys are overwhelming your child, then its time to take charge!  The first step is to make a list of all your toys. Some parents say they have way too many toys to list. If that’s the case, then start smaller. You can start by just making a list of the ones you think your child would play with the most. Pick favorites or toys you think would be favorites if he or she remembered you owned them. Remember, even if you start small, you can always add to your list over time. Don’t let the sheer number of toys in your home keep you from getting organized!

If you’re trying to organize toys for your classroom, you’ll start the same way. Begin by making a list of all the toys in your classroom.

Step 2: Making pictures

Once you have a list of all the available toys, you’re going to turn that written list into a visual choice board. As described above, a choice board is a menu of the toy choices available to the child (see the Game Choice Board on the side). One page choice boards are often best because they offer choices without being overwhelming.

Depending on your child’s level, you can create a few different types of choice boards. For young children or early readers, make the choice board using pictures. You can take photos of the toys, find photos online, or even do your best to draw something simple (most kids are pretty forgiving of adult drawings – it doesn’t have to look perfect!). For older children or solid readers, you can just use written words. 

After making all your choices, laminate them so they last! You can also put Velcro on the back so you can easily attach them to your board. Keep in mind, that Velcro comes in two kinds, hook and loop. I generally refer to them, though, as soft Velcro and crunchy Velcro. When using Velcro, you should make a standard rule and always use it the same way. I always put crunchy Velcro on my pictures and soft Velcro on my boards and schedules. That way, any picture I have can go on any board or activity I make. There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to take a picture from your schedule and use it on your choice board, or vice versa, and realizing it won’t work because the Velcro is backwards!

Building your choice board

Once you have your choices, you’re ready to build. Remember, your choice board shouldn’t be overwhelming. Try to limit it to one page. If your child has toys in multiple rooms, you can always create a separate choice board for each room.

You can also make a rotating board of choices to prevent the board from getting too big. You may have 30 toys available, but only want to offer 10 choices, so you don’t overwhelm your child. With a rotating board, each week you can swap out some of the choices on the board with some of the “backup” choices that aren’t on the board. Swapping out options also allows your child to play with a wider variety of toys by forcing in some variety!

For homes with a lot of toys, I’ve also found that some families prefer a choice binder rather than a choice board. The first page of the binder lists the toy categories (vehicles, art, dolls, board games) and then each later page has the options within the category. So a child may open the binder and look at the first page and decide to play with vehicles. He then flips to the vehicles page and can choose between trains, matchbox cars, big trucks, or airplanes. By having one page of categories, and then one follow-up page for the specific items within that category, you can offer a lot of choices without overwhelming the child with too much information on any one page.

Organizing the toys

Once you’ve made your board, you’ll want to organize your toys so they’re easy to find. I use bins from the dollar store for most of my toys (see picture), but you can use whatever works best in your world. Then, I put a label on each bin or bag of toys. The label on the toys should match the labels from your choice board.

Once everything is labeled and your choice boards made, you’re ready to use the board! During playtime, present your child with the choice board and prompt him or her to pick one choice. Once your child has selected the toy, help him or her get the matching materials. When your child is tired of playing with the toys, ensure everything goes back in the bin and then your child can choose another option. If your child picks 2-3 bins (because she wants to create something complex and needs animals AND people AND vehicles to do it), that’s okay! Whenever the play is over, help her sort the toys back into their bins and then put them away again. Remember, the goal isn’t to restrict play, it’s to encourage it!

Having lots of toys isn’t a bad thing, but if your child is overwhelmed by his or her toys you may need to add an organizational system. With the help of a choice board and some dollar store bins, you can help your child make choices so he or she can play more independently.