Puzzles, Rotate Or Leave Them All Out? Which Toys Do U Rotate?

[LaLa1923]

I have a wire rack with puzzles, and about 10 floor puzzles, do I break them up and rotate them ? (Leaving about half out) or just leave them all out? I don't want to have a lot of excess and too many choices out. I am licensed to have 7 kids, which includes 2 under 2.


Also, games... I have a ton, rotate half or so? Or leave them all out?

Which toys do you rotate and which toys always stays out?

[Lianne]

My young toddlers only have access to 1-2 peg puzzles at a time. I switch them when I remember to, , which is every week or two. For my preschoolers and older kids, it depends on their interest in puzzles. Sometimes I have all my jigsaw puzzles available (50+), organized in ziploc bags, colour coded by piece number and stored in a three drawer storage unit. Sometimes I just have 2-3 available if the kids aren't that interested in them. Jigsaw puzzles are a table toy at my house. If I have a bunch of them available, I usually have a table set up nearby but away from the young toddlers. If I only have a few puzzles available then the kids just do them at the kitchen table.

Games are a table toy that must be requested. They're inaccessible and I have to get the game down.

As for toy rotation, my livingroom and a small bedroom right beside the livingroom are our main play areas. The kids have access to both roms at all times and use the two rooms as one big room. This space is set up for the younger kids and I always have a set of Little People out, although I change up which set is out. I also always have some kind of blocks out but which set changes as well and I always have some dishes and playfood available. Anything else is subject to change at anytime depending on the kids' interest level and my desire for change.

I also have a small bedroom available for the preschoolers and older kids. They share this space with toy/art supply storage and two playpens and the 'big kids toys' available depends completely on who is enrolled and their interests. I have a young group at the moment but I do have one before/after school boy and one preschooler 2x/week. The school age boy is into super heroes, rescue heroes, Cars and dinosaurs so right now I have a three drawer storage unit with a few of each of those things plus a large castle that sits on top. The preschooler that comes only wants to play in there occasionally and is happy to play with whatever is in the drawers. This week I also have a school aged girl so I just put a bucket of My little ponies, Littlest Pet Shops and Strawberry Shortcake toys in the room.

[EchoMom]

I only keep one or two chunky or peg puzzles out at a time. Otherwise, you just end up with a huge pile of mixed up pieces and YOU end up sorting them out.

Same with games, I'd only leave one or two out. Too many choices and they just get overwhelmed and bounce from one thing to another too quickly.

[countrymom]

games are my own kids. And if there is something they need to ask. As for the wooden puzzles, I only leave 2 out at a time, otherwise you end up cleaning it up.

[Daycarelady1979]

The only toys I rotate are the bigger ones that take up lots of space...especially in the winter when we can't go outside. I try to offer some indoor large muscle choices. I have a pop-up tunnel, a pop-up school bus, a bouncy horse, a rocking cow & a few ride-on toys that I bring out randomly for the kids to play with.

The things that are always out include: Mr. Potato Heads, blocks, puzzles, the kitchen/dramatic play toys, library books, baby dolls, transportation toys, musical instruments, a basket of infant toys & a few bigger (noisy) toys. Everything is organized, labeled & in tubs or totes.

I have several games & sensory tubs & lots of art/craft supplies but these things are put up & the kids have to ask to play with them. I mainly care for infants/toddlers so I like to have most things out within their reach so they don't have to ask me for everything. When I do have an older school age child, I try to let them play with the "big kid" toys that the littles aren't allowed to have, like the Leap Pads.

Right now my biggest issue is whether or not to let the daycare kids play with my 10 month old son's new Christmas stuff. His bedroom is upstairs & he almost never gets a chance to play in there. My daycare is only downstairs. If I bring all his new stuff downstairs for him to play with, everyone will play with it...which I really don't mind, I just worry about his new stuff getting broken and I also worry about him having things of his "own"... even though at this age I know he doesn't notice or care

I need to do a MAJOR clean-out of my other son's room! He is 10 years old & his room is a disaster. I'm sure he has lots of stuff to donate to the daycare

[Willow]

The only toys I don't rotate out are the legos, LT garden in my livingroom and the play kitchen in the kitchen.

Everything else, games, babies, books, sensory bins, art supply bins, puzzles and big toy boxes get rotated out once every month or two.

[MarinaVanessa]

I have 2 wire racks of peg puzzles (6 puzzles each rack) for the toddlers so I rotate them every month or so.

The only toys that don't get rotated out for me are my play kitchen, dramatic play costumes, large unit blocks, Lincoln logs, duplos, mega blocks, little people, and my active play stuff. Everything else gets rotated about once a month also like my die cast cars, chunky cars, train set, books, plush toys, infant toys, etc.