Got too many toys? Constantly cleaning up after the kids? A toy rotation is a perfect way to keep imaginations sparked and your house clutter-free.
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The holidays are coming and it is time to address all those excess TOYS. A while back, we shared five tips for getting your child to WILLINGLY participate in donating toys.
Teaching children the power of donation and empathy are important, but sometimes you just need to get rid of stuff WITHOUT involving the kids.
Have you ever considered or tried toy rotation?
Basically, instead of allowing your child to have ALL their toys out ALL of the time, you rotate sets of toys that are available for play.
Benefits of Toy Rotation
Toy rotation has two main benefits:
- Your child will enjoy their toys more. When it has been a while since they’ve seen it, a toy suddenly feels like new again.
- It offers the opportunity to easily remove unused toys. When a toy no longer elicits joy when rediscovered, or doesn’t get much use during a rotation, it is easy to weed out which items to donate.
How to Get Started With Toy Rotation
The best approach is to keep an ongoing box for donations in your home. As you rotate toys, keep an eye out for items your child is no longer playing with; then throw that item into the donation box.
Do you have a fear of donating something and suddenly your child will desperately NEED that toy? Yeah, me too.
Don’t worry about it. Create a buffer as a type of insurance policy. When your donation box is full, duck tape it shut, write the date on the top and store it somewhere out of the way. If the box remains untouched for over two months, bring it to the donation center. Do NOT open it. Just drop it off and move on.
Additional Toy Rotation Resources
If you are interested in toy rotation to help calm the clutter, here are a few of my favorite resources:
- Getting Organized: Toy Rotation by Dirt & Boogers
- Toy Rotation for Children 1-8 by Picklebum
- The Benefits of Rotating Your Children’s Toys by The Go to Mom
If you’d like to involve your family in the donation process, click here for five tips for getting your child to willing to participate.
I hope you enjoy the perks of toy rotation as much as we do!
