Starting a Toy Rotation & More Playroom Organization Tips

There’s no room or space I love more in my home than my playroom.

It brings us all✨ J-O-Y! ✨

So I’m going to send out some tips about making your play space work for you. .

Playroom tip #1 - keep the furniture and design fairly neutral.

Not only does this make it aesthetically pleasing. 💁🏼‍♀️The space will have a calmer tone & not be overwhelming or overstimulating. Let the kids bring in the color!!!

•White & wood toned furniture. (Ikea + @lilyandriver)
•Whicker baskets from the DI + felt baskets from ikea.
•My amazing new @ruggable.
•And plants. 

Playroom (or space) tip #2: Rotate Toys

When you use a toy rotation system, instead of giving them free access to all toys, your children will do MORE with less. They will find creative ways to use the old toys in new games. You won't have to clean up toys all day long. Your home will feel more spacious and organized without a lot of toys around. Toy rotation is beneficial to EVERYONE. I've done it from day one of parenthood. And my home is almost always tidy (minus dishes and laundry, but dish rotation doesn't seem to work the same).

You don't have to complete your toy rotation today, and if you already do a toy rotation... throw up some labels, purge, spruce it up, dust it off. Let's make this challenge count!

🚂 Rotating toys works because with less out, they are not overwhelmed... they will play with certain toys longer

🎡 They will get re-excited about toys that they played with a few weeks before each time your rotate

🎈Your space will stay organized and be easier to manage (for you and kids)

🤖more independent play

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HOW TO DO A TOY-ROTATION

🦄there are no rules to how often you should rotate or what you should leave in or out... my rule of thumb is when the toys start getting dumped its time to switch out a few.

🎈I also do XOPLAYTIME though, so at least ONE basket gets switched out when I change up themes every other week.

💕try to have different "types" out, like building, pretend play, sensory, science, art, music and/or books.

🎈Here’s my storage closet -- We are lucky enough to have a spare bedroom with this walk-in closet (it's better than my master closet), but I've also stored toys in the garage and in under-bed bin storage.

Every time I rotate toys (every other week)… play goes so much better… independent play lasts longer… and we can go into depth on certain themes, using books to extend play etc.

This is all apart of how I do xoplaytime...

• I rotate themes every two weeks.

• If I have any toys that might support that given theme, I put those into rotation.

• I do the same with books.

• I fill in the other toys with the other categories that I always have out, such as music or a new manipulative (like cars, animals, etc.).

FULL EXAMPLE:

This week it's "storytelling" theme.

So my building materials are castle blocks (building). I have his homemade family peg dolls (manipulative + pretend), magna tiles (building), cloud dough (sensory), and a car garage with cars (manips) cuz he loves it.

My art area is separate, so I never include this in the toy rotation for the playroom, I rotate those differently.

You see how I rotated a few toys that made sense for storytelling into the rotation (the peg dolls and castle blocks) and the rest I just balanced by variety and interest.

When it is a new theme… but the same toys he played with a month prior… he’s going to have a TOTALLY different experience because of the books we are reading, the words we are talking about and the other toys that are interacting with this one.

Last month with the castle blocks out we were talking about airplanes. This week we are talking about fairytales and nursery rhymes. Just focusing on and talking about these topics a few times a day, or in the car... invites new uses of the same toy, an extension of the imagination and bridges the gap of the books and the toys!

Playroom tip #3: Every toy has a place. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Ditch the toy bin or basket or chest. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Get smaller totes or baskets and let every toy have its place. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• It’s easier to use the toys that they want to use. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• It’s much much easier to have a organized, usable space. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Much like clutter stresses me out... imagine walking into a workroom where you can’t see the floor, and grab supplies from a box that has tape, markers, paper, paper weights, Knick knacks... and try to create something innovative. Simple organization goes a LONG way for these kids. And I got my baskets for $.50 from my local DI (aka good will). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you do a book wall or toy rotation… TAG ME @XOLAURENPACE on instagram.

Share this #xoplaychallenge with friends, it’s a GAME-CHANGER.

Lauren Pace, MS | Parenting Coach | Child Behavior Coach | Logan, Utah | WA | Online