The Easiest Toy Rotation for Busy Moms
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Doesn’t it feel like, the more toys your kids have, the more they don’t play with any of them? Believe me, it sounds so backwards, but it is so true. Sometimes when there’s too many choices, your kids can get overwhelmed. I’ve heard of toy rotations and all of their benefits, but it seemed like way too much extra work on my end. Maybe it was the large amount of toys scattered all over the floor or the difficulty I was having keeping my kids entertained one day, but I eventually decided to give it a try. Not that I want to add more work to anyone’s plate, but finally getting serious about having a toy rotation routine has been a game changer for my family! Not only did having a toy rotation help to keep my kids interested in the toys they already have, it helped our family maintain a somewhat clean living room. The toy rotation routine that worked best for us is not fancy or complicated, and so easy to implement. Best of all, I was able to set it up with things that I already owned.
Clear a Large Space for Toy Storage
The first thing that you’ll want to do is decide where you want to store the majority of toys. Think large empty space and out of sight. This could be a basement, under a bed, in someone’s closet, or even in the garage. Because we have a 2 story home, I decided to designate 2 areas to keep toys, one area downstairs and one area upstairs. For our main temporary toy storage area, I was able to clear out the closet in our guest room. What I like best about using an extra closet, other than toys being out of sight when the door is closed, is that it gives me a visual cue when it might be time to declutter some old toys when I have a hard time closing the closet door. If the bulk of the toys don’t fit in the designated toy storage space anymore, it might be time to go through and decide on which toys are ready to be donated before the toy situation gets out of control. Also, for the sake of keeping more organized, I keep all the building toys with lots of little pieces, such as Legos or other blocks, in their separate storage bins in our bedroom closet upstairs.
Collect Containers
Before you just stick all the toys in a closet somewhere, try to gather old baskets or containers that you may already have. I ended up repurposing old baskets that were from our baby nursery that we were no longer using to hold diapers and burp cloths. They may not all match, but they help group toys together and make them stackable in the closet, so that it is easier to pull toys out during toy rotation nights. In addition to our mismatched baskets, we currently use these transparent stackable storage bins to help keep all of our building toys organized.
Sort Toys
Initially, sorting toys will feel like a lot of work, but once it is done, the future you will thank yourself. The first thing I do is keep sets together. Then I store toy sets and small pieces together in clear plastic bags. Then I start sorting by the type of play each toy provides. Some of the categories I use are pretend play sets, stuffed animals, gross motor toys, building toys, and sensory toys. I don’t always have them perfectly sorted per basket, but what really helps me is organizing them in the baskets in a way where I can see each toy.
Decide on How Many Toys to Have Out
Choosing how many toys to have out at a time wasn’t determined by an exact science. We chose to only have one basket of toys and a couple larger toys out in our living room at once, since this is where we spend most of our day. The amount of toys we chose to have out was based on how much mess my husband and I could handle in one area of the house. In addition to the one basket downstairs, we like to have one bin of a building set upstairs. We separate building toys from other toys downstairs because it is a lot easier to clean a set of legos in one area that is not mixed with a bunch of different toys. The reason we chose to utilize baskets rather than displaying toys on a shelf is because at this time, it is easier to get the kids to help clean if they are just able to throw toys inside a container. I read that the thought behind displaying the toys on a shelf is that your child can better see what toys are available and will be able to more easily choose what they want to play with. From my experience, not displaying the toys wasn’t a problem because my kids learned to dig through the basket for toys. Or, if I feel like they are needing a jump start, I help them by helping my children empty the basket to see what’s inside. Of course how we display or store toys will change as they get older, but having them be able to put the toys away a couple times during the day, helps to teach our children how to clean and it makes the house feel less chaotic.
Declutter
Before having kids, I never imagined how fast toys could accumulate. I love that having a toy rotation gives me frequent opportunities to declutter. Currently, we rotate toys once a week. As I am recollecting toys and getting ready to store them in exchange for a new set of toys, I look for broken toys, or sets that are missing too many pieces. If I find that a toy is broken beyond repair or missing too many pieces, it’s time to get rid of that toy. Paying attention to what your child plays with and how they play can also give you more insight as far as which toys they have simply grown out of using. I also tend to do a toy rotation declutter seasonally, as well as after large events such as birthdays or holidays. Odds are, after a birthday party, I may not be able to fit all the toys in the toy closet. And, if the toys don’t fit in the storage area, it’s time to let some things go!
(Try to) Rotate Toys Weekly
The last thing that you want to do to have a successful toy rotation, is pick a day to rotate toys and try your best to stay consistent. I say “try your best,” because realistically, life can get busy, so don’t beat yourself up if you skip a week! But, for the most part, I have designated Sunday nights as my official toy rotation night, so that I can start my Mondays off on the right foot. Whenever I feel too lazy to do my toy rotating on Sunday nights, I just think about how much easier my Monday will be when my kids wake up and are kept busy by a new set of toys for the week while I get to finish my cup of coffee. Sometimes, that alone can be enough motivation. I also found that the more consistent I was with weekly toy rotations, the easier it got, and the quicker I became!
Toy rotation isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely something that helped me keep my kids entertained with what we already owned. And, as a bonus, it helped to keep my house a little more organized. I recommend toy rotation for anyone who has small children that can easily get bored of their toys or even just as a means to decrease visual clutter in your home. Hopefully if you try it out, you’ll find that it makes life a little easier!
