Try as you might, keeping toys organised can be a tough job. Kids love their toys in easy reach and are often quick to make a mess so soon after we tidy. It can be the most frustrating thing in the world as a parent, attempting to get control of the toy clutter!
Finding easy toy storage ideas that also look great can be a challenge too, as there is nothing worse than an overflowing toy box that won’t even shut!
There are so many cool toy storage ideas that may make the organisation a little easier for all of us.
Many of these ideas for storing toys can be done using items from your local dollar store or thrift store, with little DIY touches to make it fit with your home decor.
Getting Toys Under Control
The battle against children’s toys has been a long one for us, and one that prompted a few changes around the house!
In fact, keeping toys tidy and organised is often one of the biggest challenges of parenthood until you find a solution that works for you!
Personally, my living room floor would often end up being toy storage. No matter how many times I picked them up. It’s no longer my job though.
By teaching my kids the responsibility of picking their own toys up is getting them quicker at the pack away tasks these days, especially when we have plenty of easy to access toy storage solutions for them.
Minimising the number of toys in our home has also helped!
Taking time to do a regular toy declutter in your home, with your kids (or without them if need be) is essential before you start organising the toys.
The other thing that has helped reduce our toy load is by giving gifts that aren’t toys for our kids for special occasions.
You can find more than 100 ideas for non-toy gifts.
Although what most prompted me to put this collection of kids’ room inspiration together was a need for soft toy storage ideas when my girls were younger children.
This collection of DIY toy storage ideas and toy organisation help to keep your entire house tidier!
In this collection of toy storage solutions, you will find soft toy storage and teddy storage ideas, Barbie doll storage ideas, hanging toy storage, cool toy box ideas, creative stuffed toy displays and other toy collection displays plus loads more!
Make sure you also check out these backyard toy storage ideas for all your outdoor toys too!
42 AWESOME TOY STORAGE IDEAS FOR YOUR HOME
To help inspire you to get your kids’ toys neat and tidy, I have done some of the hard work for you. These unique toy storage ideas can be incorporated into your own home, either in your children’s bedrooms, playrooms or lounge storage solutions.
These kids storage ideas are mostly easy to set up and look great too, as functional yet creative ways to keep the toys under control!
1. CUBE BOOKSHELVES
I really love this idea, as it looks great and is so easy. In fact, we have a similar set-up in our playroom these days, although with tubs in each cube.
The best thing is you can use a variety of storage options inside your cube shelving system – wicker baskets, wire baskets, plastic bins or storage boxes. You can also leave some empty for larger toys or built LEGO sets.
This is easy to reach for younger kids and the big baskets hide away the unsightly mess.
Scroll down to number 29 to see the IKEA Kallax shelves used as a dollhouse, each cube a different room so this could be incorporated into the top shelves.
These baskets are similar to the ones used:
2. STUFFED TOY SWING
This is so freaking cute! This toy swing is one of my favourite teddy bear storage ideas.
3. BENCH SEAT STORAGE
This is another super cool IKEA hack, using shelving and adding bench seat cushions on top so the storage tubs are in easy access for kids, the mess is hidden away and you get some extra seats to sit on too.
This would work in other areas of the home too, like lounge storage for extra places to hide the fun stuff in your living room.
Read next: 30+ Ikea Kallax Inspiration, Ideas & Hacks For Every Room
4. DRESS UP RACK
Do you have a little actor or actress in the making? How about a dress-up rack to keep all those costumes neat and orderly.
This is really cute and a great way to keep dress-up outfits organised and easily accessible. Check out number 35 for another costume hanging idea.
We currently store our kid’s costumes in one of the tubs in our Kallax shelving which is getting a bit full.
5. PEEK A BOO SACKS
Bag up different types of toys and still know what is in them with this peek a boo bag storage idea. I love this as a DIY toy storage solution that you can make at home if you are skilled with a sewing machine too.
6. MATCHBOX CAR STORAGE
This has to be one of the best car storage ideas to keep those toy cars in one great place. This not only gets them organised and off the floor but also looks really cool as a decoration piece in a kid’s room or playroom ideas.
It would not be difficult to make similar DIY toy car storage ideas like this either.
Here’s an alternative you can buy online:
7. STUFFED ANIMAL HAMMOCK
If you are looking for other ideas for storing teddy bears and stuffed toys, these toy hammocks are super cute!
Plus gets them up off the floor and out of the way as a really simple teddy organiser. It’s a better way to display them as a bedroom feature too.
Here is a stuffed toy hammock you can purchase online:
8. BOOK STORAGE
Books can take up quite a lot of room if you have an avid reader in your life. It’s great to promote the young ones to foster a love of reading so keeping them in easy reach is a perfect option for this.
We have an inflatable chair in the corner of our my eldest daughter’s room which is her reading nook. A beanbag would work perfectly for this!
9. MATCHBOX HANGER
Another simple idea for keeping toy cars organised. You could even hang it in the wardrobe with the clothes for one of the most easy toy storage ideas possible!
10. STORAGE COFFEE TABLE
If you want storage for toys that can be camouflaged in your living room… this coffee table is a super awesome idea!
This would make a great upcycling project with the right piece of pre-loved furniture too! Or simply get one ready to go!
We have a coffee table with a shelf and drawer where we hide colouring books and pencils for the kids.
11. ZOO STORAGE
Want another stylish way to display and organise those stuffed animals before they get out of control?
How about a zoo display for stuffed animal toy storage? This is a fun way to add functional decor to your child’s play area.
These can be made to order via the website, however, there are plenty of tutorials online on how to make the zoo stuffed animal storage.
You could even convert an old bookshelf into a stuffed toy zoo shelf!
This one is available to purchase online:
12. WALL STORAGE
If you have the wall space, this wall lined with containers is a great visible way of seeing toys and keeping them sorted into their separate categories.
13. LEGO STORAGE
Another one for the OCD at heart… colour sorted lego drawers from IHeart Organizing. This looks great and works well for kids who have a large LEGO collection.
We have plastic stackable drawers for our LEGO and do the same, sorting our LEGO by colour.
Check out loads of LEGO play and learning ideas for keeping kids entertained at home.
14. HANGING BEDSIDE ORGANISER
These bed hanging pockets are a great way of storing a couple of favourite toys or books close to the bed for easy access.
15. UNDER BED TOY STORAGE
Under the bed is a great storage space to utilise for kids toys storage, if you are able. This is a handy tutorial for cute under bed toy storage ideas.
16. BARBIE ORGANISER
Need a home for all the Barbie dolls your child is collecting? This repurposed shoe hanger is a nice space-saving option of hanging toy storage and Barbie organizer idea.
These shoe organisers can be great hidden toy storage, behind the door and out of sight once the door is open and pushed back towards the wall.
Here is a Barbie storage hanger you can purchase online:
17. LEGO TABLE & STORAGE
This is a great idea for keeping those Lego in one spot, plus giving the kids a place to actually play with their Lego. Functional and fun.
Discover plenty more LEGO storage ideas, including ideas for storing built LEGO sets, Minifigures and manuals as well.
18. HIDEAWAY STORAGE
Toy storage ideas that keep the mess out of sight can be great. This is a simple option. A bookshelf with a curtain essentially.
19. STUFFED TOY BEANBAG
We tried this one and I didn’t love it as far as comfort goes. Some soft toys are not that soft really, with hard noses and eyes.
But it keeps them hidden and can double as a chair as well, making it a simple and inexpensive teddy storage solution.
Here is one you can purchase online:
20. BUNK BED SOFT TOY STORAGE
We got our daughter a bunk bed with storage in mind.
I looked up a lot of different storage ideas for teddy bears when she was younger, but she does have a small room.
They take up so much room and while my previous storage idea was okay, there were a few really oversized stuffed toys that didn’t really fit.
While she’s still little and wants to keep them all, they can have their own home on the top bunk.
Update: Now that she is older, the teddy bear collection has downsized a lot! She now shares her bunks with her little sister so they have only kept a few of their favourite teddy bears and soft toys that tend to share the bed with them.
We got our bed from Ebay for really cheap, brand new. It was flat packed and much cheaper than any of the local stores.
21. CLEAR BINS WITH PICTURE LABELS
Clear storage tubs are a great way of being able to see what is in each tub, yet still keeping the clutter organised and orderly. This toy storage organiser is great with how each drawer is labelled too with picture labels which make them easy to know what is inside, even for young children.
These picture labels also make packing up easier for kids too, knowing which storage units each what collection of toys.
22. GARAGE STORAGE FOR OUTDOOR TOYS
While they are not in the bedroom or playroom, outdoor toys are much better organised too so this is a great outdoor toy storage idea.
Outdoor toy storage ideas are trickier as they often tend to be larger toys than indoor toys, so having a nook in your garage like this is a great option, or if you have a suitable garden shed where you can set up some toy storage bins.
RELATED READING – THE BEST ACTIVE TOYS FOR KIDS
23. LEGO MANUALS
This is something a lot of us may overlook as an important toy storage solution, but it would be great to keep all those instruction manuals for building Lego creations handy.
24. CAR TABLE
Okay, so this one is more fun than storage but it still has some storage involved to keep all those toy cars off the floor. How cool is it? I want one.
25. PLAY N WRAP HOBBY MAT
This thing is one of the best ways to make toys portable. When we had toddler blocks, rather than LEGO, this was such an easy way to bring them out for a play in the family room, and then pack them up easily.
This is also perfect for taking toys on holiday since the toy mat converts into a storage bag to easily pack in the back of the car for a road trip or lay it out on the grass for a camping trip for play time.
It may also be one of the many great ideas for storing teddies since you can bag them up and keep them out of the way. Get your own wrap and play mat.
26. STORAGE BED
I love these all in one bed set ups. So great to have not only a bed, a desk but storage too all incorporated into the one space.
You need reasonably high ceilings for most of them though, which is something to be mindful of.
A kids storage bed is definitely one of my favourite kid’s storage ideas because it also turns into a perfect teen study nook as they grow older too.
This is the Stuva loft bed from Ikea and it has a cupboard and cube storage slots for toy storage. The cupboard is great for hidden toy storage.
27. HANGING BASKETS
How great do these look? This is a stylish look to store toys, books and even big kid/teenage knick-knacks to keep them orderly.
While it doesn’t hold a lot of things, this is a seriously cute hanging toy storage option and it would be perfect in a nursery. It would also be another option for favourite teddy storage ideas.
28. LEGO TOOLBOX STORAGE
This has to be one of the best toy storage ideas in terms of upcycling. What a great way to repurpose an unwanted toolbox or just a great storage idea in general for keeping those Lego under control and off the floor.
We all know the pain of stepping on a Lego piece! Such a cool alternative to toy box ideas.
Plus little boys will love having their own tool box in their room!
This LEGO storage tool box would be perfect as they can be stacked as their collection grows:
29. DOLL HOUSE EXPEDIT
I mentioned earlier about the dollhouse Ikea Kallax. This is a really cool idea using cube toy storage if you are looking for playroom ideas that incorporate both play and storage.
The toys are still on display but it keeps the mess vertical instead of horizontal I suppose. Need more soft toy storage ideas? This could work just as well for soft toy storage solutions as well!
30. STUFFED TOY HANGER
This is a creative kids toy organiser hack. This stuffed animal storage ideas is one we used previously and up until purchasing the bunk bed, this was how I stored my daughter’s smaller stuffed toys.
It works well for a teddy bear storage and minimises the space they take up.
This stuffed animals organiser is one of the best ways to keep small spaces tidy of soft toys.
Find this soft toy hanger:
31. DIY TUB FRAME
Grab this tutorial for easy to follow instructions to make this IKEA tub storage system. The plastic bins are inexpensive to purchase so overall, a budget-friendly project for toy room storage.
They also work great for storing craft supplies and art supplies, small toys and collections of toys.
32. SCOOP DRAWERS
Kids are visual and like to see what they have. Sure this means they may want to pull everything out, and it makes the toys easy to see.
However, this awesome toy storage ideas give easy access to their toys and make for a quick pack-up. The divided wooden box for storing art supplies is a great idea too.
33. LIBRARY WALL
If your kids have a stack of books, there are many kids room storage ideas aimed at organising books but this one is really cool.
Make use of small spaces, keep their books in easy view and they look funky. This is a great way to encourage young readers too.
34. BEHIND THE DOOR STORAGE BAGS
Some toys come in collections or sets and storing them together can be tricky. These behind the door bags are a cool way to grab one set at a time, without having pieces go astray at the bottom of the toy storage boxes.
It’s a simple matter of hanging the bag back up at the end and grabbing a different bag.
Read next: Girls Ocean Bedroom Makeover For Under $100
35. DRESS UPS CLOSET
Do you have kids that love to dress up? Costumes can take up a lot of room and you want them somewhere the kids can reach them.
Create a mini-open closet for their pretend play props.
36. BOOK WAGON
Another super cool way to display kids books is in a vintage style cart. They will love being able to take their books for a roll around the house too.
You may be able to pick up a vintage wagon like this at a yard sale, or make one of your own!
37. STORAGE OTTOMAN
A place for toys and a seat or footrest as well, a storage ottoman makes a fantastic living space toy storage idea that doubles as a functional piece of furniture too.
The best thing about this type of kids storage solutions is that they are functional even after the kids grow up too!
38. BATH TOY HANGING STORAGE
Bath toys can be a hassle to organise. Not only do they end up making a soggy mess all over the place, they can be hard to find a storage system for.
If you have a hanging shower curtain rack, this hanging basket is perfect for letting the toys drip dry and out of the way.
The basket used is a hanging fruit basket which you can find online:
39. Macrame Soft Toy Crate
This macrame soft toy crate is a cute way to display soft toys while keeping them neat and tidy in your child’s bedroom.
Get the tutorial on how to make your own stuffed animal crate.
40. Painted Wooden Crate Storage
If you already have wooden crates at home that you aren’t using, this can be a really quick way to repurpose them. Or purchase some to decorate yourself with this painting tutorial.
If you are crafty with wood, you could make your own crates to the dimensions you want very easily too.
41. Rustic Toy Storage Unit
This rustic toy storage unit is perfect for LEGO or other small toy collections that your child likes to see.
It would work well for LOL Dolls, Barbies, and toy cars as well.
Get the plans to make your own at home.
42. Personalised Toy Car Shelf
This personalised toy car shelf works for storage and playtime. It would also make a fantastic gift idea for kids too! Using a wall display is also great for small spaces where storage room is limited.
More than 40 totally awesome kids toy storage ideas for your home that not only look good but are completely functional as well!
These handy toy organisation ideas will have you rethinking the way you currently have the toy collection stored and hopefully even get the toy clutter completely under control.
Best of all, most of these toy storage products are actually really inexpensive items to purchase or create in your home for toy organisation!
Make sure you pop on over to my bedroom declutter guide to help you get the kids rooms organised once and for all too!
Another great tip for managing toy storage and clutter is to do a toy rotation, regularly switching out the toys your child plays with for toys that have been stored away for a while. This keeps things exciting and feels like they have new toys again without having to spend a thing!
If you need organisation ideas for the rest of your home, check out what you can do with a 3 tier Ikea Raskog cart. And don’t miss these outdoor toy storage ideas too!
Love these ideas? You can shop some of my favourite storage solutions & products.
What type of storage solutions for toys do you need the most help with?
Marria
Saturday 24th of February 2018
So clever thought. really helpful ideas organize kids toys. It will keep clean kids play area. Mom can get rid of huge massy toy zone. Thanks for such unique toy storage ideas.
Marya Stor
Thursday 22nd of February 2018
What a thought! super ideas really! It is clever and space saving ideas. I think mom will get rid of kids messy toys. Thanks for sharing such a nice toy storage ideas.
Jess - A Little Part of the World
Monday 18th of May 2015
I love these ideas. So many cracking ones. We are just starting to get into the Lego here so a folder for all the manuals is first on my list. Jx
Holly
Tuesday 19th of May 2015
Would you believe on the weekend my hubby's little brother pulled out his old Lego collection from childhood (he turns 21 tomorrow) and it was all packaged up in a neat stackable drawer container, with the bottom drawer full of manuals. Apparently my mother in law was a Lego organising pro from way back! I was impressed.
shannon @my2morrows
Monday 18th of May 2015
Wow. Great round up of ideas. I can't go past the ikea expedit shelves. Both my kids have them as does our home office. Really love the cushion on top ikea hack though. soft toys are such a pain aren't they! I might try that last idea to try and control our zoo ;) Thanks for linking up to the ultimate rabbit hole too! X
Holly
Tuesday 19th of May 2015
Shannon, I'm so with you on the Expedits. The one I have in my office/craft room actually looks semi organised compared to the state of the rest of the room. They just look great and seem to make everything work better. Ikea is the best! Soft toys are the worst! lol They just keep multiplying!
Luisa @ Looking for mama me
Sunday 17th of May 2015
These are very cool! I must employ some in my girls room :) I love the hanging storage baskets for soft toys!
Holly
Tuesday 19th of May 2015
Anything to control those soft toys before they take over the world, one bedroom at a time! lol I just love how stylish some of those functional ideas are too. Double bonus. Thanks for popping over :)