Why We Rotate Toys

Toy rotation seems to be quite popular in the motherhood space, as well as with the Montessori community.

I saw where someone once said that if you find your kids just dumping stuff out and walking away, they are overwhelmed and have too much stuff out. So I watched my kids, and what I saw was just that. Their rooms would get destroyed in a matter of seconds and they would say they didn’t have anything to do.

Not only was it overwhelming them, but the mess and chaos were overwhelming me. So I took the opportunity to organize, declutter, and pack away toys to pull out for another time.

The kids took to the toy rotation instantly! I picked out 3-4 toys or toy groups and 1 big toy to leave out. They would play with their toys for a lot longer and the mess wasn’t as chaotic anymore.

So here’s how we do toy rotation:

We rotate big toys once a month. When I say big toys, I mean the toy kitchen, their racetrack, or their gymnastic blocks. They come out for the month and are shared among everyone.
Each kid gets 3-4 toys or toy groups that they get to play with for a week maybe two.
I do toy rotations on Sundays either every week or every other week.
My kids do not have a say in what toys are put in rotation.
However, I pay attention to their interests and what they’re asking for so that I can add it into rotation.
Each toy/toy group has a spot on its shelf or in a bin. This makes cleanup easier because they know exactly where their toys go and there’s enough space.
I do a rotation with books too. They have their standard books in their room but I pack away seasonal books, like Christmas and Halloween. Then I have a basket in the living that I fill with the current holiday or season or books that I just want them to gravitate towards.

My kids have not given me push back and it has made cleaning up a lot easier. Toy rotation has also made my kids more interested in their toys. They feel like they’re getting a new toy but in reality, it’s just one they haven’t seen in a while.