Montessori Toy rotation
I was going to jump right into posting a Shelfie (a picture of our cube shelf with Henry’s current toys), but then I realized I should probably explain the benefits of toy rotation and why I love it. There isn’t much to it, but knowing the basics makes rotating toys so much easier! Below are my top eight reasons for including toy rotation in your life. I could have done waaayyyy more, but I think I can convince you with only these 😆
Fosters creativity- this mostly depends on what toys you have. We have a strict "no battery-operated toys" rule in our house. I would say 99% of our toys can be used for open-ended play. For example- I put out a basket of balls and Henry played with it in three different ways! He started by taking each of the balls out of the basket, lining them up, then putting them all back in the basket. He repeated that 4 or 5 times! Then he threw them around the room, and I fetched them for him. Then he kept one ball in each hand and banged them together and then on the floor. You wouldn't think that all of that would happen from a basket of balls, but it's amazing what a baby's brain is capable of!
Less overwhelming- When too many toys are available to play with, babies can become overwhelmed by the choices and hop from toy to toy without deeply playing with any of them. Having only a few toys to choose from allows them to master each one.
Increased independent play- I noticed that when I set up Henry's shelf, I was able to walk away without him getting fussy. I think this has everything to do with reasons 1 & 2. He is 11 months old and will now play by himself for 10 minutes at a time! That's 10 minutes to tidy up the house, drink my coffee before the ice melts (I drink iced coffee all year round), or just sit on the couch and have some time to myself.
Less toys= less clean-up time- This also creates more of a realistic expectation for your baby. You can't expect your two-year-old to have enough energy to clean up 50 toys at a time, I don't even think I could do that! But if they only had 8-10 toys to put back on a shelf, that is more realistic.
Creates more space for play- Going along with #4, fewer toys= more space.
Reduces boredom- every new rotation is like a new set of toys to your baby. It's like when you were a teenager cleaning your room, and you found all of your lost toys and gadgets that got lost in the clutter!
Saves money- Having all of the toys displayed at once means your baby will eventually get bored of them all. If you have only a few toys out at once, you can store a toy they're getting bored of and pull a new one out in its place. It's also a good practice to store toys your baby gets for birthdays/holidays right away instead of opening them all at once. I have toys that Henry got for Christmas almost five months ago that I am just now pulling out! That means I didn't have to buy a single toy for 6. whole. months.
Keeps parents organized- As you rotate toys out, you can store toys away that your baby has outgrown.
So, did I convince you??? I’m telling you, toy rotation will change your life! I noticed a whole new baby when I finally set up Henry’s playroom and started rotating his toys. He is more patient and more independent, and it is amazing to see how much his little brain is developing just from having the right environment to play in. I convinced my husband to turn our office into a playroom, so we are lucky enough to have a decent-sized space to set up Henry’s shelf and toy storage (I will share a room tour soon, I have a few IKEA things I still need to build 😆). But, before we had that room set up, I had one big basket full of Henry's toys, and then each morning I would pick out three or four of them and set them on his play mat. Different setup, same idea! Now that you get the basic idea behind toy rotation, you can implement it into your life however it makes the most sense. I hope this post was motivational to you, and I hope you learn to love toy rotation as much as Henry and I do!
-XOXO, MM
