How to Organize Toys for a Toy Rotation
Now that we’ve established How to Organize Toys for an Easy Toy Rotation, let’s talk about the toys that get stored away.
If you haven’t read part one to this blog post yet, that’s okay! You can either hop on over there now or work backwards. Both are equally as important for a simple toy rotation system.
Table of Contents
Defining toy storage for a toy rotation system
Tips and ideas for storing your toys
Shop Products for an optimal toy storage
If you want to skip ahead at any point, feel free to click one of the links above to the topic that interests you most!
First things first
When I first began this “toy rotation journey” I was a bit overwhelmed by how to store all of our extra toys. All of my children’s toys were out and accessible prior to the switch so figuring out a new way to store and organize our toys was my next task.
Our current home doesn’t have a ton of extra storage space. Because of this, our toy storage resides in one of my littles bedroom closets. It works for us for our space and our season so I’m happy with it!
I figured out a location, a method, and put my plan into action. It has been a nearly flawless system since. (Nearly because I have toddlers who will pull out every bin and destroy my hard work in a matter of seconds if I leave the closet door unlocked, learned that lesson the hard way).
Defining toy storage for a toy rotation system
Okay so what is this toy storage we’re talking about?
When we implement a toy rotation system, we’re simply pulling some toys out and storing the rest away. Then we switch out the accessible toys with the storage toys typically every week, every other week, or every month.
My blog post How to Organize Toys for an Easy Toy Rotation goes over why this system is effective and how it can benefit both parents and children.
The toy storage is a place where you keep all of your toys that are out of the current rotation. The goal is to set this up as simple and organized as possible. Obviously, we could just throw all the extra toys in the closet and dig through which ones we want next when it’s time to rotate but this just becomes more work and chaos.
Tips and ideas for storing your toys
As I mentioned above, our toy storage is in a bedroom closet. It can be anywhere you have room for it! Don’t overthink it.
I use a toy organizer that used to have open bins in them, but I found that these clear 6qt Sterilite boxes with lids fit perfect and keep everything nice and neat.
You don’t have to put your bins or boxes in or on anything specific. Mine started out stacked at the top of the closet. The only issue with this is that it is a bit more difficult to pull out the boxes on the bottom without having to pull every box out and restack. Not a big deal, but I do like my new system more.
Keep your bins or boxes small-medium sized if you can so you can sort your toys more specifically. You could throw more toys in a larger tote but again we’re back to the digging when you’re rotating.
I highly suggest labeling your bins if you want the easiest system in place. My bins are clear so I didn’t have labels for the longest time thinking I could just see through them and didn’t need labels, but I still found myself cracking open each box to see what’s inside.
I created these toy organization labels and LOVE them! You can purchase these labels by clicking below. You will have access to the file immediately following your purchase. Download, save, print, and enjoy! So simple!
I recommend printing on quality matte cardstock paper through a professional print shop. Office Depot/ Office Max, Walmart Prints, Costco Prints, Amazon Photos, and Shutterfly are some good options.
I also recommend laminating your prints either through a print shop or at home for long lasting protection. I laminated mine at home with this laminator and these sheets.
If you have littles that can reach your toy storage, consider adding some sort of childproof lock to the door or cabinet if you don’t want to risk your hard work being torn apart. It might just be my kids that are obsessed with getting their hands on our toy storage, but I just want to throw that out there.
Let your kiddos help you pick from the toy storage occasionally when it’s time to rotate. Sometimes I like for it to be a surprise, or I like to do a themed rotation, but other times it’s fun to get them involved.
If a child asks for a specific toy that is stored away, it’s totally okay to pull it out for them! These toys aren’t banned or completely off limits. They’re just out of sight to help alleviate the toy chaos and give them the opportunity to get creative playing with the toys currently available. I pull a box out from our storage to switch things up for a little while most days especially when they’re asking for screen time, it’s a great way to redirect. When they’re done, it gets cleaned up and goes back to storage.
Do what works best for you and your family! Everything I’m sharing is things that have personally worked best for us but don’t hesitate to get creative and do what works for you!
Shop Products for an optimal toy storage
Click the images below for a link to each product, happy shopping!
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