Rotating Kids Toys

When I got pregnant for the first time I was one of those people who said that I wasn’t going to have all that “kid crap” all over my house. I didn’t want a huge swing in my living room and toys and toys spread around my home.

Well, I have a huge swing in my living room and toys spread around my home daily.

But, I do have to say that the amount of toys that are out are very manageable. And I attribute that to great organizing and my rotating toy system.

Here is why I rotate my kids toys:

• If they were all out at the same time there would be no room to play!
• If he had access to all the toys when he was playing he wouldn’t really play with one toy. He would jump around and play a little bit with all of them and it wouldn’t really last very long.
• He’d get bored easily. When rotating toys kids seem to forget what they can’t see. When you break out a toy that has been hidden for awhile it’s like it’s new to them!
• It makes them use their imagination. If you limit the amount of toys they have out, they will find a new way to play with the toys they already have.
• It’s more manageable for them to pick up and put away their own toys.

How I rotate my kids toys:

• I am usually on a 1-2 week schedule.
• I rotate them myself when they are sleeping. This way they can’t determine what toys is put away and what toys are brought out.
• I figure out what I want to do that week or day. When I brought our newborn home, I learned very quickly to put away all of the toys that our son needed “help” playing with. That puzzle that is a little to hard for him and he needs me for was put away. This is because when I am nursing our newborn I couldn’t get on the floor and help him with certain toys. Of course this was the time he would always choose to play with them. So now I take out those toys when I have time to actually play with them and he’s excited because the toy is “new” and more exciting since it has been hidden away.
• I think about who will be coming over. When my son has a play date I usually put away toys that I see other kids playing with in a certain way that I don’t want my son to mimic. I also put away special toys I don’t want broken.

Rotating toys has worked great for us. I have even had friends with kids come over and tell me that they’re jealous because we don’t have huge piles of toys all over!

Do you rotate your children toys? If so leave me a comment and tell me how you rotate them.