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Are you trying to organize a child’s bedroom or playroom? One of the best types of storage organizers for toys is clear plastic totes. The clear bins are great, because children can see through them to the contents inside. Still, most small kids need a little extra guidance to know where to put things. Otherwise, they may start mixing objects into the wrong bins, and then quickly forget which bins are for which toys.

Here are some ideas for toy bin labels for children’s toy bins:

• Print photographs of toys you find online. It is hard to get a more literal representation for toys than this. Children will instantly know what belongs where. You could even take photos of your children’s toys yourself, upload them to your computer, and then print them out and tape them on.

• Print pre-made toy labels. Online you will also find cute little infographics for different types of toys, complete with text labels. These little graphics are simple and clear and easy for any child to understand, and the words are great to include since children can learn to pair the words with their visual meanings. This turns toy storage into an educational tool.

• Use the first letter of the alphabet for different bins, where the letter stands for the type of toy inside, as in “L” stands for “Lego,” and “D” stands for “doll.” This is another way of teaching words and spelling. Just keep in mind that this idea can be complicated by the fact that some items could easily fit under more than one letter. Plus, it isn’t all that logical. After all, the “D” box will store both dolls and dinosaurs.

• Use a color system if you are using opaque bins and you have colorful toys to store, like Lego. For example, you can have a set of white bins all labeled with the names of colors, and you can even use the same color for the text. So the red logos go in the bin labeled “red” in red letters, and so on. This is another teaching tool.

• Use chalkboard paint. Chalkboard paint is a wonderful solution for labeling because you can always erase it and change it if your child outgrows certain toys or you or your child comes up with a different organizational system. Children can also practice labeling and can add cute drawings to the labels to personalize them. If your child ends up with fewer toys as he or she gets older, you can also repurpose these bins in other rooms of the house.

Any one of these ideas is perfect for teaching toddlers to start recognizing words, letters, colors, and more, while at the same time keeping toys organized. When you organize the playroom, you save yourself a lot of time each day cleaning up. Be sure to spend some afternoons cleaning up with your child though so you can help teach the letters, colors, words, and images. It will be fun for both of you!