How to Keep Your Kids Interested, Not Overwhelmed

It’s often inevitable that you will end up with way more toys than your children really need. But how many toys does your child actually need?

Having too many options can cause a myriad of issues. When children jump from one thing to the next too quickly, they're deprived of the opportunity to fully explore a singular toy, to develop persistence, stay engaged, and get creative.

Cycle your kids' toys to keep them interested, and not overwhelmed.

When my daughter was born, my husband and I decided that we did not want to unnecessarily buy toys just to have them.  We wanted to carefully select the types of toys that we had – ones that would foster development. 

Well, that all went out the window at the first Christmas we had; everyone wants to buy your children things to play with and it feels ungrateful to tell people not to do that.

So, here is the solution to having too many toys: cycle them.

Buy some Tupperware bins that you can store up in closets, the attic, or the garage. 

Keep a select number of toys and activities out and available for your children to play with.  Having fewer choices, they will likely have to get more creative to stay entertained.

Then, after a period of time (say one month), bring out a stored bin of toys, pack up the toys that are out, and allow the previously stored toys to be new options for playtime.

When you cycle in toys that your children has grown tired of, they will once again be exciting because of the period without them!

BONUS: You can keep the house tidier when your kids don’t have free access to every single toy that they own!