Have you ever wondered what toys kids actually need?
Come learn FINALLY how I rotate toys for our kids of varying ages (1.5-13 years old), what toys we have and WHY.
I finally share with you HOW I do it, and how to do it without self sabotage, a strict approach and one size fits all toy set up, and of course… what everyone always asks, what toys we have.
First step, stop complicating the toy simplifying process
We can get so obsessed over what the “best” toys for kids are. How to set up the Pinterest perfect playroom, and organizational bins.
All you have to do is watch your kids and notice what they play with, then keep those things. Even if those things are tupperware or socks.
Generally speaking all kids (and humans) love the same kinds of things. In Toy Decluttering 101 I talk about universally loved, and not loved toys. If you want the step by step guide to simplifying toys the fastest, easiest way possible definitely enroll in that! I teach you exactly how to declutter the toys WITH your kids.
When you rotate toys think about the depth of play for your kids
One of the things that happened for my kids, and students, when I decluttered the toys is their depth of play.
When we had an excessive and overwhelming amount of toys they would just bounce from toy to toy without really engaging with it. When they did go deep with their play it was always with the same things, and the rest of the toys were just around them. Not really being played with.
There is a difference between being around the toys, and truly playing with them.
Most of the toys they would play with in depth were stuffed animals, blocks, legos, magntailes, etc. They would use part of the play space as props for the toys but none were really played “with”.
They didn’t care if their stuffed animal was jumping off of the car tower, or the bed. The stuffed animal was the loved and played with toy. The rest were just in close proximity to the play happening.
Less toys = better play
I have experimented a lot with our toys and rotating them. In this season of my life I have two toddlers, and three big kids. I rotate to stay sane due to constant toddler dumping.
What I have noticed is that I really don’t need to rotate often, or at all. They have their core set of toys they love and play in depth with. Currently magnatiles and some Little People figures. When I rotate out toys they don’t really care. There is some initial excitement but ultimately they come back to the toys they love playing in depth with.
The toy rotation right now serves me as the mother of 5, homeschooling in a pandemic with no excess time to spend organizing all the toys into their respective bins and shelves.
How does this work for mixed ages?
Very well! In Toy Decluttering 101 I speak on the universally loved, and not loved toys and generally speaking my 9, 11 and 13 year old love playing with magnatiles and legos as much as the little ones.
We have these multi-age, multi- use toys out in our “common areas” of our home. The big kids toys/items that are fragile, too small, or otherwise just personal are kept in their bedrooms. They are old enough to play unsupervised in their spaces unlike the toddlers right now.
This gives them their personal autonomy, and privacy and it also sets good boundaries for all of us knowing what is and isn’t ours to have and use.
Once my toddlers are old enough to play unsupervised in their rooms on the second level of our home, maybe I’ll stop keeping toys in the common areas of our home but when it’s a minimal amount I really don’t mind. It’s fun for us as a family to play and I want our home to feel good for everyone living in it.
If you are excited to make this a reality in your home, too join us in Toy Decluttering 101! You will love the simplicity of how I teach you how to make this work for your home, family size, needs, wants and physical space.
Enroll in Toy Decluttering 101 now!