5 Tips on How to Master the Art of Toy Rotations at Home.
Toy rotation is a Montessori-based parenting strategy that involves rotating toys in and out of a child’s play space. This approach aims to provide your child with variety and continued stimulation without overwhelming them with too many toys.
In this blog post, we'll provide tips shared by parents who have mastered the art of toy rotations.
1. The Benefits of Toy Rotation
Toy rotations cultivate purposeful play by offering a curated selection of toys, avoiding overwhelming choices. Decluttering a space scattered with toys throughout the home leads to a tidy and organized environment, fostering renewed interest and joy during each rotation.
A study by researchers at the University of Toledo suggests that fewer toys lead to more creative and healthier play for toddlers. The research, led by Dr. Alexia Metz, found that when toddlers had exposure to fewer toys, they played twice as long and in more sophisticated ways. The study, set to appear in the February issue of Infant Behavior and Development, indicates that an abundance of toys might create distraction, making fewer new toys a better choice. The research involved 36 toddlers aged 18 to 30 months, and the findings suggest that higher quality play, where toddlers explore toys in more creative ways, occurs with a limited number of toys.
2. Getting Started with Toy Rotation
Start with rotating toys every 2 to 3 weeks or as needed. As your child grows and begins to understand the concept of toy rotation, you can increase the frequency of cycles to every 1 or 2 weeks. By curating a selection of toys on display and storing the rest in bins, a structured and clutter-free play environment is established.
3. Setting Up Your Play Space
We suggest that you place the toys on a low shelf, a coffee table, or any other furniture suitable for the child’s height to allow them to access the activity whenever they wish. We also encourage you to display specific categories rotated onto your child’s shelf at once, like fine motor, musical instruments, open-ended/building, STEM, pretend play, etc.
4. Making the Play Area Attractive
Young children generally choose what to play with based on what looks interesting to them at the moment. So instead of simply placing an activity on the shelf, we recommend taking a couple of minutes to set it up in a way that makes it even more engaging for the child. Putting an activity into a basket or tray can make it more appealing to a child.
5. The Toy Rotation System
Implementing a toy rotation system at home is easy and can help keep your house organized and free of clutter. When it’s time to rotate toys, use containers or shelves to group the materials into sets you can swap out. Since young children like repetition, choose 6-10 sets of toys each time to ensure consistency in their play environment. By using Relove, your child accesses high-quality heirloom toys, rented for a 2-month period.
Every child develops at their own pace, that’s why parents always have the option to choose the toys in their rental play kits and we will deliver them to their doorstep.
Say goodbye to toy clutter as our rental service ensures a tidy space. No more worries about toys piling up - we take them back!
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