Do you have a toy rotation?

[littleraysofsunshine]

I am in desperate need of one!

Nothing so fancy as a rotation but when I DS gets bored with his toys in the medium sized toybox in the lounge, I change them round with the toys stored in a large toybox which he doesn't have access to so they have real novelty value. I did it today actually and he occupied himself all afternoon playing with a dunper truck he hadn't seen in a month or two.

I should swop upstairs toys with downstairs ones occasionally but I never seem to get round to it.

I don't rotate the large toys (little tikes car, activity table) though as we don't have storage for them so they are just out all the time.

I try! I do have a fair bit of storage space so I could really. I should get to work on that!

I did when DS was smaller (he's 6 and a half now.) When he was 3 or so his toys were more manageable and it was easy to, say, box up the doctor kit, play tools, and cars, leaving behind the farm set, the airplanes, the dinosaurs. Or whatever. Now he just seems to have a random jumble of plastic and Lego.

Each Friday when my DD naps everything comes off the floors so I can clean then I rearrange and swap toys around!

Every now and then I swap the toys around so that the ones in ds' room come downstairs and those downstairs go up to his room. Dd just plays with his toys - they're more or less gender neutral and she's not much younger than him.
When we buy new toys I often take some of the older ones to the charity shop so we're not overrun with them.

We're in serious need. Storage is an issue though.

Dd1 3, dd2 21m have all these wonderful toys that get shadowed by all the junky ones. All these toys and they will do anything but play. I think it's where it all accessible at once?

They have a wooden kitchen - all bits are just thrown in there all jumbled and mixed up wih other toys.

A wooden dolls house - used as a climbing frame and very rarely played with involving the figures. (Role play etc)

Puzzles in a box packed away but accessible - never played with. Or if out just to be thrown on the floor.

Building blocks. -just get thrown everywhere unless me or dp sit and play with them.

Pens and arts stuff - played with then just left on the floor!

What shall I do! (Limited storage space)

If they really don't play with them, just get rid of them. Charity/ children's home/ women's refuge will all take

Then I don't actually removed, but swap around so the toys most accessible are at the front/ in cupboard they go in most

Throw away what is broken and take good but unused stuff to the charity shop.
Buy some cheap drawers or storage boxes for what's left and sort them according to type: stuff for the kitchen; puzzles and jigsaws; construction; colouring and drawing; vehicles. Put a picture/photograph on the front of each drawer/box with a label to show what goes where and be ruthless when tidying up: they will get the idea of what goes where. Be firm with them not getting too many things out at once and that they must put away their first toy before getting something else out.

We are very limited on space on our main floor but have loads of storage down in the basement so I am always rotating stuff.

We have those chunky green storage bins from IKEA (with the wheels and lids so they can be stacked).
These are the main toys I rotate.
1 has big wooden blocks
1 has Octonauts toys
1 has Train stuff
1 has Wow/Happyland toys
Lego has it's own box

Need to get another one for the Playmobil stuff we have accumulated.

I also rotate the ride on/push toys so there are not too many out at once cluttering up the house.

The only toys that stay out permanently are, small animal/dinosaur/fairies (schleich)/happy meal type toys, a large box of Duplo, the toy kitchen/playfood, toddler toys such as balls, puppets, stacking cups for my youngest. Also craft stuff for my eldest. Dress up stuff lives upstairs in their bedrooms as does the wooden castle and their dolls, stuffed toys.

Yes. Change day is a Sunday. We have a large garage so the toys are in boxes out there.

Themed: farm, jungle, ocean, etc. with figures, playsilks, books, puzzles, etc.

Story sacks: Dear Zoo, The Gruffalo, etc.

Developmental: stacking/nesting, shape sorter, etc.

Construction: Duplo, Brio, etc.

I also rotate one big piece every week like the wagon, rocking horse, pram, wheely bug, play kitchen, etc.

I am a primary school teacher. This resembles my classroom organisation (lots more money to spend on naice things at home though ). I needed a way to feel in control as a parent and this really helped me.

My next project is a nature table. I need to find a suitable table and build up boxes themed around the seasons. I've started with the Gerda Muller books.

Thank you for posting this OP. It's inspired me to finally set up a toy rotation which I've wanted to do for ages!!