5 Budget-Friendly Outdoor Toy Organization Ideas That Actually Stay Organized

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Outdoor toys for kids have a way of multiplying—especially when you have multiple young kids. And if you have twins, like we do? You somehow end up with two of everything.

Our backyard, front yard, and garage have slowly been taken over by toddler toys, balls, bubbles, chalk, trucks, gardening tools, and all the random outdoor stuff that comes along with having three little kids.

I wanted a way to keep everything organized without making our outdoor spaces look like a daycare. But I also needed the things the kids use every day to stay easily accessible.

After some trial and error, I've landed on a few really simple outdoor toy organization systems that are inexpensive, easy to maintain, and—most importantly—realistic with toddlers.

Here's what's actually working for us.

Outdoor Toy Organization Ideas

Use an Open Shelf for the Outdoor Toys They Reach for Every Day

On our front porch, I use a three-tier wire shelf for the things the twins reach for most often. The key here is that I don't just throw everything onto the shelves. Each level has a purpose.

On the top shelf, I keep anything I want to have a little more control over or don't necessarily want the kids grabbing on their own, like their play sink.

The middle shelf holds wicker baskets filled with some of their favorite outdoor things. I currently have one basket for outdoor trucks, one for balls, and another for things like bubble guns, bug spray, and sunscreen.

The bottom shelf is where I keep the things I want the twins to be able to grab independently.

There's a bucket of little shovels so they can "help me garden," bubble refills, and our chalk container. I also keep their Crayola watercolor paints and a continuous spray bottle down there because painting has become one of our absolute favorite things to do outside. I keep a mess mat handy at all times!

👉 Check out why watercolor painting is my favorite outdoor toddler activity here:

The Outdoor Toddler Activity We Do Almost Every Day (And It Costs Less Than $10!)

Having everything at their level means they don't have to ask me every five seconds to get something down for them. They can grab what they want, play with it, and—at least in theory—put it back when they're finished.

I also like using baskets instead of having a bunch of toys sitting directly on the shelf. It keeps everything looking intentional while still being functional for actual kids.

✨ If you want to see how I refreshed this porch area, be sure to check out this post:

Front Porch Makeover on a Budget: How We Transformed Our 1908 Porch

Hide Large Outdoor Toys in a Storage Bench

Not every outdoor toy fits nicely into a cute little basket. Enter: the outdoor storage bench.

This is where I hide all of the awkwardly shaped toys we use in the backyard. Sand toys, their T-ball stand, and other bulky outdoor toys can get tossed inside when we're finished using them. And I do mean tossed.

I'm not interested in creating an organization system that requires me to carefully arrange children's sand toys every night. Open lid. Throw toys inside. Close lid. Done.

I also love that the storage bench serves two purposes. It hides all of the visual clutter while giving us some extra outdoor seating. It's probably the easiest way I've found to prevent our yard from looking like a tornado ran through it without actually getting rid of the toys my kids use.

Use Wooden Crates for Kids' Folding Chairs

If you have toddlers, there's a good chance you've somehow accumulated at least one tiny folding character chair.

We currently have Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, and Spider-Man represented at our house. The kids love them. I love that they have their own little chairs. What I don't love is having brightly colored folding chairs constantly scattered across our little back deck. My solution? Wooden crates.

I use wooden crates to store the chairs folded up when the kids aren't using them. They're the perfect size to keep the chairs standing upright instead of leaning against the house or lying all over the deck. And because the crates themselves actually look cute outside, I don't feel like I'm trading one kind of visual clutter for another.

When the kids want a chair, we pull one out. When we're done outside, the chairs fold up and slide right back into the crate. It's ridiculously simple, but it's one of those tiny organization systems that makes our outdoor space look so much less chaotic.

Because apparently nothing says "three small children live here" quite like Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, and Spider-Man staring at you from three different corners of the deck.

Use Clear Storage Bins for Seasonal Outdoor Stuff

The garage is where I keep the outdoor things we don't necessarily need every single day. I use clear storage totes with labels on our garage shelving to separate everything into categories.

Some of ours hold wagon accessories, seasonal gardening and outdoor decor, beach stuff, and summer toys that we only pull out occasionally, like our inflatable pool or sprinkler.

I also prefer leaving the lids off. I've learned that the more steps an organization system requires, the less likely I am to maintain it. If I have to pull a tote off the shelf, remove a lid, put something inside, replace the lid, and put the tote back every time we use something? I'm eventually going to stop doing it.

With an open bin, I can walk into the garage, toss the item into the correct container, and move on with my life. The clear bins also let me see what's inside without pulling everything down, while the labels make it easy to know exactly where something belongs. Simple. Visible. Easy to maintain. That's pretty much my entire organization philosophy these days!

Drill Drainage Holes Into a Large Bin for Balls and Bulky Toys

Okay, this might be my favorite outdoor organization hack. We have a large plastic bin that I use for balls and other bulky outdoor toys that don't fit well inside the storage bench. But there's one very important detail: Drill holes in the bottom.

Because obviously, anything that lives outside is eventually going to get rained on. Without drainage holes, you've essentially created a giant bucket of disgusting rainwater filled with toddler toys. No thank you.

A few holes drilled into the bottom allow rainwater to drain out instead of collecting inside. This is especially helpful for balls because the kids can easily grab what they want without me digging through a storage bench, and cleanup is ridiculously easy.

At the end of the day, we literally just throw everything back into the bin. This is also one of those systems toddlers can actually help maintain—which brings me to the most important part of all of this.

Why Our Outdoor Toy Organization Systems Actually Work

I've tried plenty of organization systems that looked beautiful immediately after I finished them and were completely destroyed within a week. The problem wasn't necessarily my family. The system just wasn't realistic for us. With three little kids, I need organization to pass a few tests:

It has to be easy for the kids.

If I want the twins to help clean up, they need to know where things belong and actually be able to put them there. Open baskets, big bins, and low shelves make that possible.

Cleanup needs to be quick.

At the end of a long day outside, I am not sorting 47 tiny toys into individual Pinterest-perfect containers. We're tossing trucks in the truck basket, balls in the ball bin, and bulky toys into the bench. Good enough.

It needs to be inexpensive.

I didn't want to spend a fortune organizing toys that live outside. Most of these solutions are things we already owned or inexpensive storage pieces that can serve more than one purpose. You don't need a custom storage system to make outdoor clutter manageable.

It still has to look nice.

Listen, I love my children dearly. I do not necessarily want my entire house to look like they run it. Having designated places for their outdoor toys lets the kids actually use our outdoor spaces while still allowing me to put everything away when I want my porch or yard to feel like an adult space again.

And most importantly, it has to be easy to maintain.

That's really the secret. An organization system doesn't help me if maintaining the organization becomes another chore. Everything we use has a very obvious home, and putting it away takes seconds.That's why this setup has actually stayed organized.

Pro Tip: Keep Adult Outdoor Equipment Separate

With the amount of outdoor stuff we've accumulated for the twins, there isn't exactly a ton of garage space left for our own things.

So, I use our shed primarily for gardening tools and other outdoor equipment that the kids don't need access to. This works for two reasons: it frees up our garage shelving for the kids' outdoor toys and seasonal items, and it keeps gardening tools safely stored somewhere the twins can't easily get to them.

I also use hanging storage solutions or shelves (that are properly mounted to the wall) to keep things I absolutely do not want the kids getting their hands on out of reach, like tools, chemicals, etc.

I actually like having a clear separation between the two. The things I want the kids to independently grab are stored where they can reach them, while the things I don't want little hands getting into have their own designated space. It's less about having one perfectly organized storage area and more about giving everything a home based on who uses it and how often we need it.

Shop My Favorite Outdoor Organization Finds

👉 If you want to shop everything I use to stay organized in one place, check out my Amazon storefront here! 🏀🛝

Easy Outdoor Toy Organization Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

Organization systems only work if they're realistic. I wanted something that looked nice, but it also needed to be simple enough that my toddlers could help put their own things away.

And honestly? That's probably why this system has worked better than anything elaborate I've tried. Everything has a home. Cleanup is faster. Our porch and yard don't constantly feel cluttered. And when the kids want to play outside, the things they use most are already accessible to them.

With little kids, I'm learning that the best organization system isn't necessarily the prettiest one. It's the one your family will actually use.

Wondering What We Actually Play With Outside?

Having an organized outdoor space is great, but obviously we still need things to fill it with. Over the years, we've definitely found some outdoor toys that get way more use than others. I've rounded up our favorite outdoor toys for toddlers—including many of the things you see the kids playing with here. ⤵

See our favorite outdoor toys for toddlers here! 💦

Posted from the heart,

Mama Poe

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