The Best Way to Finally Organize All of Your Child’s Toys
This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my whole Sunday, but seeing how devastated my oldest son was when he realized he’d lost one of his favorite toys, I had to do something. As we spent hours combing every corner of his room for that elusive toy, I had an epiphany: my kids have too much stuff.
Research has shown that too many toys can bore children, leading to decreased creativity, learning and skill development during play. However, by implementing a toy rotation system, you can reduce clutter and provide your children with a variety of toys to play with, as well as help develop their cognitive and motor skills.
If you want to get rid of clutter but aren’t ready to throw away your child’s toys just yet, you can try rotating toys. According to Parents , you should divide toys into groups based on their type, age appropriateness or interest level, and children can access one group at a time. The groups rotate over a period of time, helping previously hidden toys feel new and interesting again, while keeping children interested and engaged.
Talk about an overwhelming task, starting a toy rotation can be a daunting task that can be frustrating for both parents and children. Here are a few simple steps to get you started so your kids can have a tidy room and you can regain your sanity.
Collect all of your child’s toys (and throw away any broken ones).
It’s right. Search every corner of your home, check storage drawers in the garage, and look in the deep, dark recesses under your child’s bed. You can ask your kids to help you, but if they are anything like mine, they will rebel against the process every step of the way.
Collect all the toys your children have in one place. Seeing this huge pile may make you wonder what you got yourself into, but in the long run it will lead to better organization.
When packing, throw away any toys that have missing or broken parts. See all the little gifts they received at the birthday party and those Happy Meal toys taking up valuable space on your child’s coffee table? Throw them away. There’s also a good chance your kids have outgrown many of the toys you’ve collected. If your 8-year-old still has that Tickle Me Elmo you gave him for Christmas when he was two, it’s time to give it away.
Start sorting
Now that your child’s toy count has been reduced to a (hopefully) manageable number, it’s time to sort them into categories. You can categorize them by type (eg, dolls, action figures, building blocks), age (eg, toddler, school-aged), or interest level (eg, educational toys, outdoor toys). It doesn’t matter how you classify them as long as you can understand it all.
Divide and conquer by set (and make some exceptions)
The next step is to place a few toys from each category into rotation sets. The secret to success at this stage is to think like your child. For example, let’s say you included a dinosaur puzzle in your set. In this case, add some Jurassic World figures they might like. If you include multiple dolls in a set, encourage cross play by including a tea party toy. Then label the box and put it away.
If you want to complete the project as quickly as possible, this blogger recommends the following system: Take 10 toys and place them in a storage container. Then remove the container.
You can (and should) be flexible about the toys your kids play with every day. For example, my youngest son plays with his Magna-Tiles daily. Keeping them away seems counterintuitive to the development of cognitive and imaginative skills that this particular construction toy promotes. They also pair well with any toys he has in rotation.
Create a schedule
Remember, the toy rotation system is flexible. You can change the toys monthly, weekly, or whenever your children feel like they need a change. Now that the hard part is done, the rotation schedule can be tailored to your family’s needs.
How to add new toys to the rotation?
With the holidays or your child’s birthday approaching, there will likely be new toys added to the rotation. You can integrate them into your current rotation or slot them into a set where they fit best. You can even ask your child to donate some old toys so that new ones can fit into their current set. This system eliminates clutter and promotes toy sharing and gratitude, which is why you created the toy rotation system in the first place.