Feeling overwhelmed by your children’s books? Here’s how to tell when it’s time to downsize your collection, along with a simple, practical process I use to declutter our kids’ books.

Why do books feel like something we can never have enough of? Maybe it’s a love of stories, the beauty of illustrations, or the assumption that more books equal more value. For me, children’s books are especially tempting: I love charming pictures and clever plots, and it’s easy to add another title to an online cart.

Over the past year I’ve worked on buying far fewer books for our kids. Regular trips to the library have helped tremendously — they reduce impulse purchases and let us rotate titles so reading stays interesting. The library also teaches our kids to borrow, return, and care for books.

Despite that, our home library still got out of hand.

Exhibit A: overflowing shelves and bins stuffed with books.

When books start to look like toys rather than reading material, it’s a sign. My kids use them as shields, stepping stones, or towers to knock down. Yet when we sit down to read, we repeatedly choose the same favorites — classics like Corduroy, Curious George, and Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site — and a handful of others.

Reading the same books often is actually beneficial for young children: repetition supports literacy development and comfort. The real value of reading together is in the ritual — the shared time and connection — not in the number of titles on your shelf.

With that in mind, while the toddlers napped one weekend I grabbed a box and began decluttering.

#badmommy, maybe, but here’s the method I used.

How We Declutter Kids Books

For me, decluttering starts with small, visible wins to build momentum. I remove everything from the shelves, set aside duplicates, and get rid of books my partner and I don’t enjoy reading together — if no one likes the book, it isn’t worth keeping.

Next I sort the remaining books into three piles:

• Keep
• Unsure
• Give away

The “unsure” pile is usually large at first. That’s fine — it keeps the process moving without getting stuck on individual titles.

When deciding what to keep, I ask myself these questions:

Do we all enjoy reading this book? Books that aren’t enjoyable for the family get donated. Shared reading should be pleasurable for everyone.

How often do we read this book? Frequently read books stay. Rarely read ones usually go.

Is it available at the library? If we can borrow it easily, it’s easier to let it go.

Does it have genuine sentimental value? I examine why a book feels sentimental. If it’s a unique keepsake I cherish, I keep it. If we’re holding a book only because it was a gift and it doesn’t add value, I donate it.

After a few rounds, I usually end up with a smaller, manageable collection of beloved titles and a large box ready for donation.

On my first major declutter we removed over one hundred titles — duplicates, tattered books, and many that simply weren’t enjoyable. So far, none of those books has been missed. If we ever want a title again, we’ll borrow it from the library instead of buying another copy.

Thinking about simplifying your kiddos’ book collection?

Here are five signs it might be time to declutter your kids’ books:

1. Your kids use books more as toys than as reading material.
2. Books are taking over rooms or surfaces in your home.
3. It takes you more than a couple of minutes to tidy books each night.
4. Many of the titles you own are available at your local library.
5. There are multiple books you don’t enjoy reading with your children.

If several of these fit your situation, try a short decluttering session: remove, sort, and be honest about what brings value to your family’s reading time. The goal isn’t to own fewer books for the sake of it, but to make space for the stories that matter and the moments you want to keep.

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