Toy rotation- mixed boxes or sorted?

[cuckoochick]

So C is rarely playing with her toys and is spending too much time lolling around, playing on the iPad or watching TV.

We currently have her toys in baskets on the expedit shelves but she can't access all of them and to be honest is v rarely asking for toys. So I'm wondering about changing it up a bit. Currently we have a basket of books and musical instruments; figures and small world stuff, playground, cars and vehicles etc, a basket of puzzles and games and a basket with role play stuff in.

So I'm wondering about setting up mixed boxes of toys for rotation rather than having them sorted as I'm just feeling the living room ends up messy in the current system and it's still not played with.

She also has a doll's house and kitchen in the living room accessible at all times. Art supplies in a caddy on her wee table and other toys/playdoh etc is housed in the under stairs cupboard. Other toys are in her bedroom.

So how do you guys organise your toys in rotation? Currently she's had a puzzle out and there's figures all over the floor while she's playing on the iPad! . I need a bit of order and would love her to get back to playing with her toys better? Would mixed boxes (although the OCD freak in me hates the idea of that!) work better? Or how can I make the sorted toys work better for us?

Thanks!

[michaeljacknnugg]

We have all boxes accessible, like you - but I tend to find that if I actually get one out, and maybe suggest something that he could do with it, then it gets a lot more interest. Otherwise they only get pulled out when he is really inspired or has friends round.

A recent example - we have a box of Hexbugs and a box of junk modelling supplies. I got out the bugs and suggested that he build them a new run using some toilet rolls from his junk modelling set. Well, that was it - he was off! Suggesting something new to do just added to his current repertoire of 'what to do with Hexbugs' activities.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Mixed boxes never works here. They get mixed by dh who doesnt get the sorting system I have and then I spend all day listening to "mom, I cant find xyz" or "mom, help me look for the microscopic purple barbie shoe" (which amazingly Spencer found!).  We are currently into two things - dolls (wonder why ) and crafts. Not much else being played with at all here.

Hmmm..I rarely suggest things. I suck at playing that is dh's thing! Crafts are my department but they usually just like to do their own thing.

[<Catherine>]

No toys are being played with here either - what is up with these kids?!

Sorry, doesn't answer your question. Ours are sorted too, I couldn't cope with mixed boxes.

[cuckoochick]

I read a blog where she had mixed boxes. She'd sorted them into categories and then put a few of each type in a box which was then out on rotation for a week. I kind of like the idea of that as in...you can play with any of these toys in this box that I have out for you and then it is one box to tidy away as C is useless at tidying away her stuff although loves to do cleaning jobs with me So in theory there might be less mess but I'm not sure whether there'd be much more playing or just asking for a different car/figure that would be in a different box.

Thanks ladies for your replies so far

 Does anyone have a great system that works for them?! Thanks xxx

[*jazzberry*]

Well ours are in mixed boxes (not intentionally ) and never get played with either . I have just got 2 large packing boxes out of the garage and am about to box everything up. I am sick of picking up toys that are brought out but never played with... Sorry, my own personal rant, I know it doesn't help

[cuckoochick]

No rant away hun! I've just been buying loads of Christmas presents for C to put away and am thinking about whether these will be played with much too!!!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

No toys are being played with here either - what is up with these kids?!

Sorry, doesn't answer your question. Ours are sorted too, I couldn't cope with mixed boxes.

For us I think with back to school they just want to chill out at home. Weekends we see a bit more play, but nothing like it used to be. Hmmm but then there is less to clean up  

I rotate toys in and out....been stuck on dolls for awhile now but now that we have our real "doll" probably time to switch it up.  We have a 16 cube shelf with baskets - 4 have dolls and accessories, 2 are barbies, 2 are play food, 2 for dress up clothes, 2 for music & electronic toys and the top 4 that used to be too high are things they have to ask for -play do, paints etc. The toys out of rotation live in a massive armoire that is locked.

That is just the basement....upstairs we have one bookshelf with books and puzzles and two storage ottomans with little people and megablocks. Totally sounds like we have a massive amount of toys but half of it is my old stuff and most of the rest is gifts. I rarely buy them toys.

[*jazzberry*]

Yeh mine do things like use a piece of train track as a gun, use bits of marble run in the bath, jump on the trampoline with bits of lego (to see them bounce around) etc etc. it just means there are bits of stuff all over the place all the time and really they may as well be playing with toilet rolls and sticks ya know? I am seriously thinking about getting rid of a lot. I read somewhere recently (cant remember where) that kids should have a dressing up box, a building box (ie lego) and access to masses of good quality crafts, that they don't need anything else. I think that was it (books and teddies/dolls presumably too...)

[*Becky*]

ours are in sorted boxes, I could not cope with mixed ones! Surely that would be a huge amount of work and just more chaos...but maybe I don't get it!

I am constantly looking for 'the answer' with toys. Lots of ours don't get played with and we probably should have less out. H wants TV, the computer or to scoot/bike outside. If he is inside 'playing' it is occasionally lego and the rest of the time his machines which he still loves. He has never been that into toys though so probably not the best gauge of what does and does not work.

[Hedgehog17]

We've always done mixed boxes, 3 different boxes, each one out in the living room for 3 weeks then rotated to the next 

If he asks for something that's not out I tell him it's not currently in rotation but he can have it in a week / 2 weeks and he's happy with that 

Each box currently contains 8 items (including a musical instrument, puzzles, a game, construction toy, role play toy, ball etc) and he has access to 1 larger physical toy eg trampoline per rotation.

Always available are his kitchen & play food (stored inside his kitchen), his torch and 2 wooden spinning tops in his bedroom, a box of lego and some small cars in the living room, and some art & craft stuff in the storage unit in the conservatory.

After playing with one toy we encourage him to put it away before getting another one out. If he's made a mess everywhere he has to do 'tidy up time' the same as they do at nursery (we help a bit if he needs it).

He plays with his toys very well so I think we've got the balance right  Remember with a toy rotation less is more!

[cuckoochick]

I think I've decided that I will try 2 mixed boxes as she can access two anyway, either that or I totally pare down all 4 and just put them out of the shelves on a morning and encourage her to put back more as she goes. I'm realising that I'm not being entirely consistent myself regarding tidying. That way I can shove a box back if it's not being accessed. DH has been meant to tidy out the cupboard under the stairs for over a week so I will get him to do that tonight so I can really sort through what we have and get a bit more organised.

I'm hoping it will help me set her up with things a bit more and encouraging a bit more independent play as I'm finding she will happily play whatever I suggest but then if I have to do something else her play stops. This is new because we've always been lucky in that she played independently for ages!