TOY ROTATION

Do you rotate your toys? If yes, you know how magical this simple method is, if no, you seriously need to give it a try!

Why is toy rotation so magical? Well, it’s waaay less mess which is reason enough alone but actually, more importantly, it makes for better play and happier kids.

When we started rotating there were still quite a lot of toys out, you know what I’ve learned? Less is 100% more! Right now, my two kids (age 2 and 4) have a dolls house + pegs dolls and small wooden animals, a set of dominos, a box of bricks, 5 books, a set of 12 crayons and a colouring book each. Oh and a cuddly toy each. They also have a hideous baby rocking horse which I hate but they love!

We’ve been doing this a little over a year and about a week ago I reduced their toy rotation by about another 3 toys – this past week has been great! Lots of creative play, easy to tidy (even for miss 4 on her own) and it made it fun and special when I pulled out an extra toy like a family game or craft to do together. Looking forward to another (mostly) peaceful week with the toys I’ve listed above!

So how does toy rotation work? Well it’s kind of up to you, but the basic idea is your put away ALL the toys and then get out just a few (that number is up to you) for your kids to have access to. Then after a shortish amount of time, rotate them (put them all away again and get out a few more!). I aim for once a week, during this recent lockdown/quarantine I’ve done it a little more frequently, but when they’re out at day care I sometimes leave it longer (mostly because I forget!). A good rule of thumb I’ve found – if the kids are restless and cranky, rotate the toys.

Toy swap day is so lovely to watch, the kids are so excited, it’s like they’ve got a whole collection of brand new toys! It’s also a great way to see what they like. If there are only 5 toys and one is ignored all week, probably time to donate/sell it.

Don’t forget you can rotate big toys like play kitchens or dolls houses too… though you may need to clear out a cupboard! And you can rotate clothes. This is especially good if your kids dress themselves and like multiple outfits per day like mine! When they get all the clothes out, it’s just a few items to tidy away again – phew!

Any questions? Shoot them my way, I LOVE to talk about toy rotation, it’s completely changed our home life!