I remember pulling out every single toy in our house and dumping them on the living room floor. And boy was I shocked at what we’d manage to accumulate for just 1 toddler at the time. Now, if you’re not careful, toys can quickly take over and leave you wondering what to do with all of the plastic bits and pieces that your children have managed to collect. 

I do think you should declutter before giving your children new items.  Don’t do it alone; if your babies are old enough to reason then do this process with them.  Looking at everything at once allows you to see how much you really have and what you can let go of. Most children will be honest about what they really love and get excited about the potential of gifting the decluttered items to friends or even children who have been displaced and may be living in local motels or shelters. Sifting through the toy collection with your kids makes time to chat about the things they are really into or the new interest within their current friend group. 

The most helpful practice I put into place in our home to manage the items in our play areas came as I was thinking about how I used to run my preK and Kindergarten classrooms. I never kept all of the materials or toys for different centers at at once. I would pick what the children could use for a few weeks or lessons of study and put those items out to explore.

Implementing this system at home began to keep my children more engaged with what we have.  The amount of toys you have out for your children does make a difference. There’s less meaningful play if there are 50 million toys out and about! Rotating in new toys makes for a more creative child and makes independent play last longer because the curiosity is peaked by what you have put out as a choice to engage with for the week or month.

Having the entire toy collection out all out at once may create overstimulation and a MESS for you. As a preschool teacher and one who studied child development I know that young children learn best through deliberate play. I used to love seeing the excitement on the faces of kids when new toys show up in the learning centers and my two little ones reignite a love for the toys that have been tucked away in the back of the closet once I pull them out with the new toy rotation. 

If you’re thinking you have to spend lots of money to rotate different toys to play with that would be false. 

I find value in the groups I belong to.  Join a Facebook Buy Nothing Group in the area where you live. These groups are awesome for several reasons. Not just because I get my children’s toys there but, in my opinion it cuts down waste and the need for unnecessary consumerism that ultimately creates more waste. If you feel weird about taking other people's things - DON’T and understand that you too will have the opportunity to give what you no longer have a use for. 

Most Buy Nothing groups have rules therefore visit the website and read the rules when you join the group in your area.

Please remember that kids don’t need toys to create meaningful and exciting play experiences.  Knowing the love language of your sweeties may help curve the pressure we sometimes feel to purchase copious amounts of gifts for our children during certain times of the year. I know that my 15 year old’s love language is receiving gifts therefore, I do value giving her gifts and during each Friday during the month of December, her birthday or when I notice something special she’d really enjoy or occasions. 

Be deliberate about the items you allow in your space because they’ll surely require time to manage and maintain them.