How To Do A Montessori Toy Rotation.
How To Do a Montessori Toy Rotation?
Have you heard about the Montessori method? The Montessori philosophy encourages using Montessori toys and specially designed spaces at home, known as the "YES" space, including baby-sized furniture and shelves, to help babies and infants develop independence as they explore their environment. If you're new to Montessori or want to learn more, we recommend reading these blogs before continuing or afterward for additional information (The benefits of Montessori, Montessori at Home,
The Montessori method focuses on the child, encouraging them to learn freely from their environment, and at their own pace and style. One principle of Montessori is to allow our children to tell us what they are interested in learning either by watching their behavior, or interest and focus on an activity or toy.
Also, they can tell us (once they can talk and communicate) they would like something different. One way to do this is through toy rotation. Toy rotation keeps your baby and child engaged and fosters independent play, creativity, and focused learning.
What is Montessori Toy Rotation?
Montessori Toy rotation is a system or method where a few toys and/or activities (preferably at most 8 or 10) will be displayed on a shelf for the baby/child to use and the rest can be stored away in bins or drawers. These toys will eventually be rotated with new ones (the toys that were stored, and no that does not mean you have to buy new toys every time) for our babies or infants to play with. Therefore, this toy rotation method aligns with the Montessori philosophy, which focuses on simplicity, order, and the idea that “less is more”.
How To Do a Montessori Toy Rotation?
- Quantity: As mentioned previously, you preferably want to display approximately between 8 to 10 toys. You do not want to display more than that as it will become too cluttered and overwhelming for your baby or infant. Store everything else in containers or boxes.
- Let your Child’s Interest Lead: Pay attention to whatever your child is interested Observe their actions and behaviors with certain toys. If you notice that they have lost interest in a toy or activity, it is time to switch it out for something else.
- Time: Rotate the toys and/or activities every two weeks, but this also depends on you baby’s or child’s interest. Keep in mind that this is just a guide, and it does not necessarily have to be every two weeks. Some parents do it every week, every three weeks, or every month.
- Age and Phase of baby/child: You can also rotate toys depending on your baby’s and child’s age. Once your baby and child grow a bit more certain toys and/or activities are not going to be as interesting to them as before, or they have already mastered a skill and want a new challenge. You can tell this by observing how interested and focused they are on a certain toy. Also sort and categorize toys in groups such as puzzles, building blocks, sensory toys, stacking toys, threading toys, and art supplies.
Toys and activities will differ depending on your baby’s developmental stages and age to meet and foster new skills that they will acquire as they grow. Placing toys in categories will make it easier to rotate them based on different themes or skills you want to encourage.
- Store Away: As we mention before, store away the rest of the toys and activities that are not being used now. Store them away in bins or containers and put them in the closet or simply out of sight. This is to avoid clutter and overwhelming your baby/child with too many toys. Make sure to label the bins with the categories of toys to make it easier when it comes to locating and rotating them.
In conclusion, Montessori Toy Rotation is a method to help you keep things simple, clear of clutter, and less overwhelming for your baby/child. Montessori toy rotation aligns with the principles of Maria Montessori that “less is more” and simply helps our children focus and learn better. When considering toy rotation, there is not a single way or rules set in stone. Instead, there are tips that you can follow to make it easier. First, keep in mind the quantity; you want to keep at least 8 to 10 toys displayed at a time. Also, observe your child’s interest in the toy and how they react to it. This might tell you it’s time for a rotation. Third, you can rotate toys every two weeks, three weeks, or a month, but always keep watching your child’s interest in the toy or activity. Keep in mind your baby’s or child’s age and stage of development, each stage requires different and more challenging skills to keep your baby interested and learning. Lastly, store away all the rest of the toys that are not being displayed or used. Store them in a bin out of sight and label them in categories for easier finding and recognition later.
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Readings that might interest you: If you would like to learn more, we recommend you these books.
The Montessori Home: Create a space for your child to thrive by Ashley Yeh.
The Montessori Baby by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodik.
Creating a "YES" space: what is it and how to make one? by HBK Blog