Setting Up A Toy Rotation Closet

I think we all have a similar goal in mind when it comes to kids toys:

• That they actively engage (play) with the toys they have

• That the toys don't take over the entire house

This is where the beauty of toy rotation comes in, as I've found it to be the answer to both of these goals.

With toy rotation, kids toys have a little bit more of the novelty factor because they are not always available, making them more exciting to play with. And depending on how you have toy rotation organized in your home, it can give you a tried-and-true method for keeping the clutter and overwhelm that surrounds toys to a minimum.

We have done toy rotation for as long as most of my kids remember. When I first heard about it on the internet almost ten years ago, I thought it had to be this big complicated and scheduled organizational feat.

But as a very type B mom, I was able to develop a very relaxed system that works well for us.

What it looks like for us

I'll start by explaining what toy rotation looks like in our new house. We are fortunate to have a large closet in our daughters room which she doesn't need for her actual clothes, so we are able to devote the entire space to our toy rotation.

This is where absolutely all of our toys are kept, down to the lego and dress up clothes, aside from a few things that live in our block play area.

The toys themselves are each separated by type or collection into a basket or bin, labelled, and given a specific place where they belong in the closet.

This is what some of the organization looks like:

We try to keep our toys to a minimum, if things don't get played with regularly, I have no problem getting rid of the excess.

Where to set it up

I've had some comments about how nice it is to have so much space to set this up, and I will say, I love having a dedicated closet. So if you can designate an office closet, or somewhere in your basement solely for toy rotation, I recommend making it happen.

But if you can't there are so many options.

In the past we have used:

• a big tv cabinet

• large totes

• the tops of closets that are used for other things

• under beds in sliding drawers or bins

• even a big shelf somewhere more out-of-the-way would work

Hoping to share a little more of a guide soon, so stay tuned!

Have a great week,

Olivia