How to do a toy rotation
One of the biggest hurdles you may face during the holiday season is what to do with all of the new toys! I get it - it seems like as your child gets bigger, so do the toys - and they are EVERYWHERE. A simple thing you can do now to prepare for the incoming gifts this month is to set up a toy rotation and purge the toys your child no longer needs.
What is toy rotation? Well, it is basically rotating out what toys are available for your child to play with. You select a certain number of toys to keep out and store the rest out of your child’s sight and reach. Research has shown that childrens’ ability to engage in play is affected by how many toys they can see at one time. With fewer toys out, children play longer and more creatively than when lots of toys are available within sight.
It can definitely be a little overwhelming to know where to start, so here are some simple tips to help get you started with toy rotation in your home.
How to do toy rotation:
Take out all (yes, all!) of your child’s toys. This is likely going to be overwhelming; it was for me! But it’s important that you can see EVERY single item your child has so that you can then make choices about what you want to rotate out. You can take it one room or category at a time. Some parents might find this part easier if their child is not around when they go through the toys.
Choose 3-6 toys to keep out in each of your child’s play areas. Select the toys that they currently play with - the ones they go to most often. This number does not have to be EXACT, but definitely chose under ten for each area. One “toy” counts as one single item or something that has multiple pieces. For example, a five-piece knob puzzle would count as one toy - with the board and all five pieces together. A set of magnetic tiles would count as one toy. Just keep in mind that the more pieces you have out, the more you have to manage.
Have a couple of boxes or bags available for those items you either want to donate or need to be recycled/thrown away. As you go through each item, ask yourself “Does my child currently play with this?” and “Can I foresee them playing with it in the future?”. If the answer to both questions is “no”, then it may be time to donate it! (If you are planning to have more children, keep a separate pile of baby/younger toys to store away for later.)
Store the rest of your child’s toys you want to keep out of sight. This part definitely takes some planning upfront. If you don’t already have an area in your home to store toys, think about where this could be - you can get creative! Families use under-bed storage, shelves high up in a closet, or even storage bins in the garage. The point is that you want the stored items to be completely out of your child’s sight and reach. Also, if you know you are going to be getting an influx of new toys (such as during holiday season or prior to your child’s birthday), it can help to leave some empty space in the storage area so that you have room for more toys to enter your home.
Every 1-2 weeks, repeat with “new” toys! The beauty of toy rotation is that your child truly will see their old toys as new if they haven’t played with them in a little while. It’s normal for children to show different levels of interest in various items over time, so the goal is to capitalize on your child’s interest of a few items, and then when they start to get tired of them, you rotate them out with new things.
The biggest thing to remember is this is all about having functional spaces that are conducive to play, easier to clean-up, and not overwhelming. Do what works for you and your family!
If you are looking for help in organizing and storing the extra toys, hiring a professional home organization company can be a great investment. Last spring, we had 2B Organized come to our house and organize our toy storage spaces. Having an expert eye pick out the right bins and storage containers for our unique spaces and put everything in its most practical place was life-changing, to say the least. This truly sets you up for success with toy rotation!
Let me know - have you tried toy rotation? Comment below or let me know by sending me a DM on Instagram!