Six years ago, in January 2014, our tiny two-bedroom apartment was overrun with toys. Our two girls, ages 5 and 2 at the time, seemed overwhelmed with all their choices — and I was tired of cleaning up all day long. Things had to change! I decided to try a toy rotation system. (You can click here to read all about the organization and storage of our toys.)
I spent two whole days purging toys that were no longer played with and sorting the “keepers” into equal groups of like items.
Toy Rotation Categories
Sorting toys into categories is certainly not required, but it does make rotation easier! Each week, I would swap out the toys — one from each category — from our toy closet. I found that our toys fit into one of these six categories:
- Games/puzzles
- Arts & crafts
- Fine motor/visual
- Imagination
- Building/transportation
- Educational
(Keep in mind that it’s GOOD if your toys fit into more than category. This is just one way to keep your child’s play balanced, but it’s not meant to make your life harder.)
When you divide your toys into categories, you may find that one or more is out of balance. And if you’re looking for quality toys for your collection, here are a few of our favorites from each category:
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Favorite Games and Puzzles
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Puzzle
Giant Pegboard
Mental Blox
Great Creative Arts Toys
Easel + Chalk (We have the set from IKEA, and love it.)
Musical Instruments
Cookie Cutters (for playdough or stamping)
Fantastic Fine Motor Toys
Shape Sorter
Pegs + Foam Board
Barnyard Bingo
Click here to see even MORE of our favorite toys for toddlers and preschoolers!
Imagination Toys
Shopping Cart
Cash Register (We also love the IKEA version.)
Doll
Best Building & Transportation Toys
Bristle Blocks
Wooden Figurines (and School Bus!)
Lincoln Logs
Educational Toys
While the argument could be made that all of the toys in this post are educational, these products were used during our ‘preschool at home” lessons.
Magnetic Letters
Alphabet 2-Piece Puzzles
Letter Beads
