5 Tips for a Pre-Holiday Toy Purge

The toy overwhelm struggle is real, and we battle it in our home, as well! That’s why I’ve become a big believer in regular toy purges. And what better time to do one than before all the Christmas gifts come rolling in?! Read below for why you should do a pre-holiday toy purge, as well as 5 tips for fuss-free toy purges.

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Do you ever feel like your home has been taken over by toys? Like you could probably open your own toy store from the supply within your own four walls? (If not for the fact that at least half of them are lost, broken, or missing pieces.)

The toy overwhelm struggle is real, and we battle it in our home, as well. That’s why I’ve become a big believer in regular toy purges. And what better time to do one than before all the Christmas gifts come rolling in?! Read below for why you should do a pre-holiday purge, as well as 5 tips for fuss-free toy purges.

Why You Should Do a Toy Purge Before Christmas

The holiday season tends to get pretty busy pretty quickly. But squeezing a toy purge into your schedule will be well worth the time! Here are a few reasons you should consider doing a pre-holiday toy purge:

Allow room for holiday activities

It’s hard to trim a tree, gather as a family, or host a holiday dinner when every room is bursting at the seams with toys. A little purging will allow much-needed room for all your favorite holiday activities.
Foster a more peaceful holiday season

Clutter can significantly affect our anxiety levels, and that is certainly true of toy clutter! Battling holiday stress is already hard enough – make it a little easier on yourself and your family by clearing away some of the toys. Not only will it make your living areas feel less chaotic, it will be easier to clean up AND likely alleviate some of the sibling squabbles.
Make space for incoming gifts

Do your kids’ Christmas toys end up sitting around the floor or in the box you brought them home in from family gatherings for days and days after Christmas, simply because you don’t know where to put them all? Is that just us?? One huge benefit of doing a pre-holiday toy purge is to make room for incoming gifts so they have a place to go right away.

Encourage grateful, generous hearts

A final benefit to pre-holiday toy purges is that it can help prevent entitlement and encourage generous hearts in your kids. Instill in them a “one in, one out” mindset with their toys, rather than simply continually adding to their collection. And prompt them to donate gently-used toys and pass them on to other kids who will enjoy playing with them as much as they have.

5 Tips for Fuss-Free Toy Purges

Toy purges are necessary and beneficial, but they’re not always easy. Clear the clutter, make space for incoming gifts, and encourage generous hearts by following these 5 tips for fuss-free toy purges.

Purge the no-brainers first

When faced with a task that seems monumental, I always like to start with quick and easy wins to build momentum. When doing a pre-holiday toy purge, start with the no-brainers: broken toys, toys with missing pieces, cheap toys (like the ones they get in Happy Meals or win as prizes), and toys your kids have obviously outgrown.
Do (some of) it without your kids

The next two tips are somewhat conflicting and depend on your kids’ ages and personalities. I, personally, do most of our toy purging without my kids. That way I can weed out the ones that don’t earn their keep without interference or objection.

I never get rid of a favorite toy without asking, and if they haven’t played with something in months, they’re likely not even going to notice it’s gone. Only once or twice have my kids ever asked for something I had gotten rid of, and their disappointment was very short-lived.
Involve your kids

On the other hand, there are some benefits of involving your kids. For one thing, decisions always go over better with kids when they have some ownership in the process. Also, sometimes what we think is a keeper may turn out to be something our kids are actually indifferent about and ready to give away. Involving them in the process can give us better insight into what to keep and what to purge. Plus, it trains those generous, un-entitled hearts I mentioned earlier!
Create a toy “purgatory”

If there are toys you’re on the fence about, stash them away in the garage or attic for a few weeks. If no one misses or mentions them, let them go.
Have predetermined guidelines

Part of the overwhelm of a toy purge is the sheer volume of decisions that need to be made. Make it easier on yourself by establishing some general parameters beforehand of what kinds of toys you will and will not keep. As you conduct your toy purge, review each toy in light of those guidelines.

Making the decision once at the beginning eliminates the need to think about the pros and cons of each individual toy, reducing the stress of the entire process. (It will also provide some answers to give to your kids if they fight you on something you’ve purged!)

Suggestions of What to Keep and What to Purge

What should those predetermined guidelines be? That depends on your particular family values, of course, but here are a few of my suggestions (key word: suggestions!).

Keep toys that:

Can be used in a variety of ways
Encourage creativity and imaginative play
Will grow with your kids
Are easy to store/maintain
Are good quality

Some examples of good toys to keep are: blocks, LEGOs, magnet tiles, dress-up clothes, dolls, vehicles, toy animals, art supplies, play kitchens and utensils, Play-Doh, board games, and puzzles.

Purge toys that:

Have only one use (most electronic toys)
Do all the “thinking” and imagining for your kids (again, most electronic toys)
Are fads or passing interests (there are always exceptions to this, of course)
Are bulky or hard to store (unless they meet the above requirements and will get a lot of use, in which case they might be worth the hassle for a season!)
Have a bunch of pieces you know you won’t keep track of