What is toy rotation & why we consider it!
Have you ever found an old pair of shoes in the back of your closet and got so excited?!?
Or do you rotate your clothes for the seasons and get so excited to find your jeans, sweaters, and long-sleeved tees after a long summer?! (okay, maybe my northern friends will appreciate that more).
Either way, the point is distance really does make the heart grow fonder & you don’t know what you have until it’s gone!
Rotating your child’s toys is the same idea & there are so many benefits to rotating your toys.
Benefits to toy rotation:
Novelty, obviously! Rotating your child’s toys every few months creates novelty in their play and language. This is naturally more engaging for children. You’ll probably find that your child is more engaged right after you rotate toys and put new ones out.
It’s less overwhelming! Having fewer toys out is likely to increase your child’s engagement in play and their engagement with you as you play together.
Less clutter means less to clean - can I get an AMEN!
Supporting cognition & language:
Stick with me here for a sec because I’m going to use words like cognition and language! We all know that a child’s primary job is play and they learn so much through play. Here are ways the rotating toys supports their cognition and language development:
Increases exposure to novel language and concepts - every time you rotate their toys, there are toys with new vocabulary!
Allows opportunities for them to engage in cognitive flexibility & problem solving - toys might be rotated so that different items are together. I’m a huge fan of mixing and matching toys, so that superheroes can go in jungle themed toys, jungle animals can go in a dollhouse. What amazing problem solving occurs when we engage in these types of play.
Helps with planning of their play and language! This is an important cognitive skill where your child is able to come up with completely new ideas and use language to talk about it. If your child is a Gestalt Language Processor, this might be a fun time to see if they’re able to utilize some of their gestalts in new ways.
Exposure to new experiences - maybe they’ll experience fire station play, which might help them recognize a fire truck when you’re out and about in the community. These connections are so important!
How do I rotate toys?
Choose a few toys that you’ll have readily out and available for your child to play with - however this works best in your home is perfect! (All other toys can go into a closet or bins, somewhere out of sight and out of mind).
I’d recommend a couple favorites that stay out pretty regularly.
Vary the other toys - maybe a couple that your child hasn’t shown much interest in yet, a couple that they’re starting to show interest in.
Think about how they might use the toys together - put out some figurines, a house or building of some kind, some vehicles.
You might think about choosing toys that are related to the season or the month - ice cream in the summer, farm play in the fall, etc.
As always, take what works for you and leave what doesn’t! If toy rotation seems overwhelming - keep the toys out in a way that works for your family. If the loud toys are driving you wild, those toys might “disappear” for a few months and come back without batteries! Ha! If the kids start sliding toys under the couch and you find them months later, that, too, could be your own variation of toy rotation.
But I need more support…
If this post resonates with you, I love, love, love talking about play and toys. Questions I answer frequently for families about play/toys:
What toys are most appropriate for my child right now?
My child is just not interested in toys, what can I do?
My child mouths and throws toys, how can I help them learn to play with toys in a different way?
How do I get my child to transition away from their favorite toys? As soon as it goes away, cue the waterworks!
What can I do while my child plays?
If you have those questions, too, let’s connect! I’d love to chat more about play and how I can support you in choosing the most appropriate toys for your child based on their interests and skills.
