Unpopular Opinion: I Hate Toy Rotation
I'm not gonna hold you- I hate toy rotation. I truly did not believe in it until I realized I was doing it in an unorganized manner.It’s a necessary evil. The kids are only playing with maybe 10 percent of their toys on a daily basis. It's typically the same toys that are in rotation and they forget about the others. Some toys are still unopened from last Christmas. Meanwhile it looks like a bomb went off in my house and the toys are scattered everywhere. I didn't like the “work” of picking toys out and roaring them, however I'm going to tell you why I am now a fan- let’s not get to hasty. I will tell you why I willingly cooperate with the system.
What is toy rotation?
Toy rotation is when you separate the toys into groups and only give access to one group of toys for a certain amount of time. You switch the groups of toys out so that the kids get to play with fresh toys periodically.
Why should I do toy rotation?
Kids get excited about new toys. They feel like they are getting more toys without you purchasing more toys. It's also easier to clean because there are less toys to put away. My initial drawback was the act of setting time aside to do one more “chore”. However the amount of toys everywhere was the one more chore I was already doing. If I could replace a daily chore with a monthly or quarterly chore, I could hit the mom jackpot.🤑
How to start:
I started small unknowingly by only having certain toys in the kids room-Toy rotation minus the rotation. Majority of their toys are in the playroom. It was so hard for the kids to clean up all the toys in their room when there were so many toys in there. Only the toys with a designated home could stay in their room while all others went to the playroom.
Here are some tips on how to have a cleaner start to toy rotation. I have also included a supply list of a few supplies to purchase to help finish the task easily.
Access the damage
After all the toys are in one room, throw out the broken toys, start a donate and/or sale box for the toys that the kids have outgrown but still linger. This can take a while if you have not done this in a while or ever. Have patience but be firm in placing toys in 2 or 3 piles or bins- keep, donate/sale, or trash. To make the decision easy, any toys missing crucial parts that will take a whole house excavation to find are trash. Broken toys that you “think” (emphasis on think you can fix if you set aside time for it) throw away. These are a time suck and not a task you want to take on as a mom. Think: it's me time or time spent fixing the toy. Considering the toy is not fixed, you have made your choice. You can decide later if you want to donate or sell the toys. I suggest the following order:
1.Give to someone in your circle/community who could use the toy. If there is no one in your circle/community move to the next step.
2.Sale at a second hand shop like Once Upon A Child.
3. Whatever can not be sold, donate to a thrift store.
Categorize the toys.
Create piles of toys by categories like: arts and crafts, dolls/stuffed animals, books, musical instruments/cars, games/puzzles, dress up/make believe.
Then take equal items from each category to divide equally among the storage bins you have. I would suggest buying 4 or 5 storage bins so that you can complete the task in one time. You most likely won't need that many unless you have some bulky toys. Make sure you pair toys that the kids are likely to want to play with together so you don't have a fallout over a “missing toy”.
Once you are done sorting, label the box Toy A, Toy B, etc until each box is labeled so that you can easily tell which box you are currently using and which is next in the sequence. Store the boxes in the basement, garage or someplace out of daily view.
Determine the switch frequency.
How often you switch is up to you. Do what will be helpful to you and the kids. Some parents do every few weeks to every quarter. I now add it to my monthly chores, so it's not forgotten about and end up with another year of brand new never touched toys.
Additional tips
The one toy I leave out all the time is play doh or slime because it's a fan favorite. They love playing with it all the time and it helps with motor skills. I would suggest leaving the obvious favorite toys out of the rotation and creating a home for them in their room to help the toddler /kid keep their own room clean.
Are you sold on toy rotation or do you use another method to organize the toys?
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