As every parent knows, a home with children can become quickly overrun with toys, books and art supplies. Do more toys mean more fun? No, in fact it can mean less fun as your over-stimulated kids spend just a few minutes with each toy and quickly move on to the next one and the next one. Not to mention the stress that comes with a cluttered home. You should always be on the lookout for toys that your kids no longer use or that are broken, but a few times a year we recommend you dedicate time to do a really thorough editing job. The 7-Day Toy Cure is here to help.
Maxwell has been hosting Cures on Apartment Therapy for years (for example, The 20/20 Home Cure and currently the Color Cure) and they're based on ideas he wrote about in his 2006 book Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure. It's a fantastic primer for "curing" your home of its ills and transforming it into a beautiful, healthy sanctuary. Consider The 7-Day Toy Cure a "mini-cure" to tackle just one facet of your home: your children's toys (we're including books, media and art supplies as well.) It can feel like an overwhelming task but if you break it down into manageable chunks you’ll be successful.
How It Works:
There will be six assignments over seven days (the first one may take you two days) and each one should take about an hour; maybe more depending on how many children you have or how many toys you’ve accumulated. If you need to skip a day, no problem. Make it work with your schedule. If this isn’t a good time for you (end-of-summer family vacation perhaps?), bookmark this post and come back and start the Cure when the time is right.
We want you to feel really good heading into the school year with toys, books and art supplies pared down and under control. For those of you ready to dive in and dig out, here’s your first assignment:
Assignment #1: Create an Outbox,Touch & Evaluate Every Toy
Assignment #2: Touch & Evaluate Every Toy continued
Assignment #3: Arts & Crafts Supplies
Assignment #4: Books & Media
Assignment #5: Clean & Repair
Assignment #6: Empty Your Outbox
Assignment #7: Reflection & Inspiration
Share & Discuss Your Cure:
• We've created a 7-Day Toy Cure Flickr group and encourage you to share photos of your befores, afters and progress with each other.
• Use the comments section of each assignment to chat with each other, ask questions and share your successes.
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Thank you Maxwell for doing this. I can't count the time I have spent with new & older clients dealing with the deluge of toys, games & even broken ones. I have charged my hourly fee for this & it still doesn't help eliminate the problem.
I am sending this post to all my clients with children... even teenagers.
I have read Maxwell <eight steps home cure> recently, the Outbox definitely helps. Thanks Maxwell for sharing this.
This is awesome! I am definitely bookmarking this for November because it will be a good time to do before Christmas and my son's birthday in January to make room for the new toys. Thanks.
We are having a birthday party for both our boys (4yo and 2yo) on Sunday, so this will help us clear out the playroom before the outrageous batch of new stuff arrives! Thank you for the perfect timing.
degerkas & alison78: love the idea of doing this right before a birthday or other big gift-receiving holiday!
Great idea. Since my boys are going into their teens, I made this a summer project while they were home. One day a week, I put a box in the entry way and said, "Fill this up with toys, books, etc. you don't use anymore BUT someone else can." Each week, that box went to a local battered women and children's shelter, to either be distributed or sold in their thrift store. We lightened our load (though STILL a ways to go....) and some child somewhere may have found the treasure of their dreams.
For a lot of other parents, if you have time, consider donating to your local thrift stores or freecycling as well. A lot of things we get rid of like this are still useable (when cleaned).
Someone in our group of friends started the "no gifts" practice for kids' birthday parties, and it quickly spread. I'm so grateful! They still get gifts from family, but we've cut out our major source of crappy junk from Target. I recommend it!
Great Idea.
Ahhh... I can already feel the clutter seeping away :)
Love this! I also suggest that, if you simply cannot get rid of some toys but still have too many -- start rotating! Put several toys/books/etc. away for a month or two. When the kids need some new entertainment, take them back out again and pack up some of the others for a month or two. This works like a CHARM at my house. That, and switching/borrowing with my sister. :)
We had such fun this week sorting our stuff, thanks for the great project!!! My best tip is really don't bring stuff into your home unless you really really love it!!! That will save you hours of agony. Cancel party packs, cancel gifts, cancel shopping as an activity... go outdoors instead, and you will seriously have so much less stuff to sort through, it is unbelievable!!!
You can scroll down this post to see our toy cure: http://www.se7en.org.za/2011/08/28/se7ens-fabulous-friday-fun-84
this is a great idea. We also try to minimise the 'stuff' that comes into our house by utilising our local 'toy library'. Same principle as a regular library, but you can borrow toys for a set period of time. It's brilliant because all the awful plastic play tables/bikes/babystuff that kids THINK they'll play with (and don't) can be borrowed and happily returned 2 weeks later. It also allows us to invest in great toys like Lego, meccano, quality blocks etc etc.
Just started this morning.. since my 3 children all got way to many toys and crafts for Christmas. I actually am selling some of the toys that are still in great shape to a local consignment shop. A great way to make money and not feel like you are throwing away anything. Also any toys that wont sell (missing pieces or just to old) I give to the local salvation army.