13+ Incredible Strategies for Storing Outdoor Toys

1. Create a DIY outdoor storage box.

Vinetta at The Handyman’s Daughter created this beautiful toy box for holding outdoor toys, creating an organizing solution that is both practical and nice to look at.

This storage box is great even if you don’t have a lot of garage or shed space to store outdoor toys. It could easily sit on a porch or deck looking super functional and beautiful at the same time!

Find the tutorial + plans for building this DIY outdoor storage box here.

2. Build a DIY kid’s garage.

If you’re short on storage space in your home’s garage, Danielle from DIY Danielle has the perfect solution– build a “kid’s garage” for storing outdoor toys!

Along with gaining tons of storage space, this gives kids their own area for their gear, making it easier to keep both kid and adult items organized.

Check out the inside of Danielle’s kid’s garage here.

3. Install a large slat wall to store toys and equipment.

In the garage, maximizing the wall space is the name of the game, and Christin from My Homier Home does it beautifully with this genius slat wall!

Kids’ toys, lawn games, bike accessories, and other equipment hang neatly out of the way, leaving plenty of space to park cars and keep them out of the elements.

There are tons of different attachment options for the slat wall, and the configuration possibilities are endless.

This makes it easy to store outdoor toys in the way that makes the most sense for your family. AND it’s simple to switch things up when the kids get older and their toys change.

Get a closer look at Christin’s slat wall organization system here.

4. Use a heavy-duty storage bench with a hinged lid as a catchall for balls, sports, gear, chalk, helmets, and other small outdoor toys.

Who said outdoor toy storage can’t be pretty?! Lauren from Bless’er House proves that garage storage can also be stylish with these genius storage bins.

The wire sides make it easy to see what’s in each bench so you can grab what you need anytime. And there’s room to sit while putting on shoes, applying sunscreen, or just taking a break from the heat.

See Lauren’s storage space up close here.

5. Create a DIY Nerf gun storage rack.

I know my fellow boy moms will recognize the genius behind this cool Nerf gun storage rack by Vinetta from The Handyman’s Daughter!

Nerf guns seem to multiply and they’re awkward to store. This hanging solution keeps them tidy without taking up too much space.

And can we talk about how cute that hanging basket is for the darts?! The open bin makes it easy for kids to throw the darts back in when they’re finished. And it’s simple to remove it from the hooks and carry it around while picking up darts as well.

Get Vinetta’s full tutorial on how she made the Nerf gun storage rack here.

6. Create a garage toy storage and organization cabinet for all categories of toys.

Keep outdoor toys tucked neatly out of sight with an organized cabinet, like this one by Cami from Tidbits and Co.

I love how every category of toys has its own designated spot (with labels!), so there’s never any question of where things should go during clean up time.

Cami maximizes the space on the interior of the cabinets with multiple rows of storage bins. And she hangs flatter items on the backs of the doors for even more storage.

See Cami’s full walk-through tour of her organized toy storage here.

7. Label clear bins to make sure everyone knows where things go.

Erin from Simple Purposeful Living always has solutions that are simple, practical, and easy to imitate, and this one is no exception!

I am a huge fan of un-lidded storage bins for kids’ stuff because it makes it so easy to return items to their rightful place. (And the easier the system, the more likely kids will be to follow through!)

Clear bins make it simple to see what’s in each bin so kiddos can grab the exact toys they’re looking for. And when the bins get emptied, Erin has provided labels so there is never a question of what goes back where.

Such a great way to make outdoor toys easily accessible for the kids!

Learn how Erin put together her DIY garage toy organization here.

8. Get creative with your tennis and pickleball storage.

We play a lot of tennis and pickleball at our house, so when the rackets, paddles, and balls started piling up, I knew I had to come up with a smart way to store them.

I installed a few sets of hooks on a blank wall in our garage. The ball hoppers hang neatly on the top hooks.

Then I used collapsible wall bins to store the tennis rackets and pickleball paddles.

I was especially excited about these bins because they gave us room to grow. If we need to store more equipment, we can just expand the bins and more gear will fit easily!

See my tennis and pickleball storage up close here.

9. Keep the kids’ storage bins down low for easy access.

If I want my kids to be able to take out and put away their own outdoor toys, they need to be able to reach them!

I purposely put my kids’ stuff on the lower garage shelves so they could get to them whenever they want.

The two small aqua bins on the bottom shelf hold sidewalk chalk and small outdoor toys. Then bigger toys like balls, frisbees, and bats are stored in the larger bins with lids off for easy access.

See my full organized garage tour here.

10. Hang awkwardly shaped items up out of the way.

This hockey net was taking up so much space in our garage and getting in the way of being able to park our cars.

Simple wall hooks ended up being the perfect solution to get it up out of the way. It’s still convenient to grab, but parking is no longer a problem.

Extra hooks for the blocker and hockey sticks ended up being other great ways to maximize wall storage in this corner of our garage.

Find more info on our hockey storage solutions here.

11. Use large stackable baskets for storing outdoor toys.

I know I’ll always find smart organizing ideas from Erin from The Sunny Side Up Blog!

I love these open, stackable bins because they provide a home for each type of toys while making everything easy to take out and put away.

They also use the vertical space well. Rather than lining up a bunch of bins on the floor, stacking them takes up so much less of a footprint!

See all of Erin’s outdoor pool and toy storage strategies here.

12. Create a covered kiddie parking garage.

Large outdoor toys like cars, tricycles, and diggers can pose some of the toughest organizing challenges.

But Sara from Mom Endeavors overcame those challenges beautifully with this awesome covered kiddie parking garage!

It’s not difficult to put together, and you can choose your preferred style of fabric, ensuring that the storage unit isn’t an eyesore.

And best of all, cars and trikes are tucked neatly out of the way, leaving the lawn area looking tidy.

Take a closer look at Sara’s genius storage idea here.

13. Use a garage pegboard to store outdoor toys and equipment.

I love pegboard storage to begin with, but then Cyndy from The Creativity Exchange went and painted beautiful stripes on her garage pegboards, and they became absolute perfection!

When our spaces look good, we feel more motivated to keep them organized, and that is exactly what Cyndy achieved with this project.

I love that she uses the pegboard to maximize vertical space. And with so many different hooks and attachments available, it’s easy to customize the pegboard for whatever outdoor toys you may be storing.

(Bonus points for the cute wheeled bin holding even more outdoor toys too!)

Find Cyndy’s full tutorial here.

Storing Outdoor Toys: Final Thoughts

Storing outdoor toys can be tricky, but it’s definitely not impossible. And not only can the organizing solutions be practical, they can also be cute too!

I hope this post gave you some helpful ideas for organizing your own outdoor toys so you can maximize your garage space and love where you live.