I have spent a bit of time in waiting rooms lately which got me exposed to a number of play areas. It is a no brainer that wether at home or in a waiting room kids need toys to play, it helps them grow and learn (as well as keep their parents sane). But like anything to do with children it can become a mess in no time.

It got me thinking;

How can we embrace a play area whilst still keeping things as organised as possible?

Firstly you will need a dedicated cupboard or bookshelf which is roughly around the size you need for the number of toys you have. This might sound very basic but if you don't have enough cupboard space it means that you cannot create a home for each item, with the result stuff will lay around.
The next thing is boxes. Have boxes that clearly have a rough category. They can be see-through, to make it visually easy to know where items go. The easier the system the less hassle it will be for children to tidy up for themselves.
Tidying up is important, no matter how small children are, my thinking is; if they can take it out a box, they can put it back in the box. Playing should include tidying up and putting items away so we are ready to play with something else.
As adults, it is important we keep track of what state the toys are in. Check if anything is broken, dirty or incomplete - throw it away if it is. A lot of simple toys don’t cost much but if toys are organised and clean, it makes for a very different feel.

Once you have boxes, categories and a cupboard you can make the whole space look inviting. Show a nice display of books, boxes and teddy bears and kids will gravitate to the space, hopefully keeping it neat in their wake (with a bit of encouragement from us adults).