Do the Two Week Toy Rotation
- Learning Resources Posted On Aug 12, 2021
Any parent will tell you that children just have a way of accumulating stuff. But this article from Psychology Today showed that when toddlers are surrounded by too many toys, it reduces the quality of their play. Giving your toddler a few of their favourite toys at a time and rotating this selection on a regular basis encourages them to focus and play more creatively with what’s at hand – and have loads of fun learning through play. There’s an easy way to do this: do the two week toy rotation.
Why do the two week toy rotation?
There are several good reasons to do the two week toy rotation. Firstly, sorting, storing, and rotating your child’s toys every two weeks lets them discover old favourites and engage with toys they haven’t played with in a while.
Secondly, it’s a good opportunity to sort out broken items, retire toys they’ve outgrown, and get gift ideas for upcoming birthdays and Christmas. Plus, it’s a way to add novelty and discovery to playtime without it costing you a cent! Lastly, it’s a chance to give everything a good clean. Here’s how to do it…
You’ll need:
- Boxes to store toys while you do the two-week toy rotation. Start with two or three, although you can add more if you need them.
- A damp cloth and disinfectant wipes.
- Bin liner for chucking out broken toys that can’t be recycled or donated.
- A box for toys that will be donated or recycled.
Do this activity:
- Round them up: Do a swoop through the rooms in your home and assemble all the toys in one room. Remember to look behind the sofa, in the bathroom, and all those other places toys accumulate.
- Set up your boxes: Start off with two or three boxes per child that you’ll use to store and rotate – use more if you need them.
- Sort and separate: Now’s your chance to go through everything and sort out items that your child has outgrown or are ready to toss. Bin broken toys or items with missing pieces, set aside toys that can be repaired, and separate ones they’ve outgrown for rehoming to friends or a charity.
- Sort, clean and choose: Sort the remaining toys into categories such as construction, games, pretend, moving toys and so on. Wipe them down with a damp cloth and again using a disinfecting wipe or solution. Wash soft toys according to the manufacturer’s instructions or if they can’t be washed, pop them in a plastic bag, squeeze out the air and store them in the freezer overnight to kill off dust mites and bacteria. Find more tips on how to clean and disinfect toys.
- Mix it up: When choosing which toys go into each week’s box, ensure you have a good mix of old favourites, types (pretend play, construction, arts and crafts etc.) and ones your child hasn’t played with in a while. The added benefit of this sorting process is that it lets you see where there are gaps and will help you come up with gift ideas for upcoming birthdays.
- Display and store: Leave the first week’s toys out where your child can easily access them. Store the rest away and at the end of the first two week toy rotation, switch out the first week’s box for the second week’s and so on. Before storing the previous week’s toys, give them a good clean again.
- Safety tip: When rehoming toys, do a spot check to make sure they’re in good working order, there are no broken or sharp pieces, and that you’ve removed any batteries if they are battery-operated.
Regularly sorting, cleaning, and donating toys is a great way to get kids of all ages engaging with their playthings more creatively. Give it a go with an older child and involve them in the process.
If you like this blog, check out some of our other posts on early years activities and how to support learning through play.
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