I first read about toy rotation while perusing Pinterest. I thought that the idea made sense and was looking forward to trying it out when my son got older. Well the time came that I felt like toys were starting to take over every living space in our house, so I got to work.
Basically a toy rotation is when you keep only a few toys out at any given time and keep the rest organized and stored somewhere else. You periodically rotate the toys that are out with others that are stored away. When the toys are in storage, they aren’t off limits, and your child can request them. But they are out of the way when they aren’t being used!
Toy rotation is great for many reasons:
- There are fewer toys out at one time, so the toys are more noticeable and get played with more.
- The toys that are stored away seem like new toys again when they’re brought out to play with—no more buying new toys all the time!
- Teaches your children the value of organization
- Less toys with missing or broken parts…somewhere in the toy bin
- Ahhh…no more clutter!
Toys to have out all the time:
- Books
- Large toys (like play pianos, kitchens, etc.)
- Toys your child loves to play with every day
- Educational/learning toys (What this is depends on the age of your child. I keep things like stacking blocks and a shape sorter out all the time for my one year old.)
How to implement:
- Organize toys into bins, baskets, or boxes and label. Involve older children in this step!
- Decide which toys will be out all the time and which will be in rotation.
- Find a place to store the toys not in use
- Rotate toys when your child asks to, or when you sense they are getting bored with what is out.
- If your child requests a particular toy at any time you will easily be able to find it because it will be so organized!
We first organized the toys my son has. I will organize more as he gets older. Some bins I will probably make when he’s older are: Legos, art supplies, cars and trucks, etc. I found a space in a closet to put the toys I wanted to store. I keep some toys and a basket of books out all the time. I have a small “tot school” area. Upstairs in his bedroom he has a bookshelf with books and a small basket of little toys. I keep the rest of his toys in a closet.
My son cannot yet tell me when he wants to play with blocks or with puzzles, but when I notice that he has exhausted his available toys, I pull out one or two from the closet. He gets very excited when I bring the toys out. He plays with each toy more now than before when all of his toys were available all the time.
I think too many toys at once was overwhelming, so limiting the amount is working well. I have to say I also get pretty excited when I pull out a toy we haven’t played with in a while!
Written by Adrianne