Do you ever feel like
your child has a million toys but hardly plays with any of them? You are not
alone! Here are some tips to help increase your child’s play time and interest
in toys:
Try rotating your child’s toys. Fill a box or bin with a variety of your child’s toys and put it away in a closet or basement. After about a month or so, bring the hidden toys out and put a different set of toys away. Your child will feel like they are getting “new” toys every month.
Have a special “mommy/daddy and me” box. Put a few interactive toys such as crayons, Play-Doh or stickers in a box and out of reach. Once or twice a week bring the box out for special “mommy/daddy time” and have some one-on-one, uninterrupted play time with your child.
Keep all the parts of a toy together. If a child has to search for puzzle pieces or Mr Potato’s face before playing they are less likely to engage. Try keeping each toy and its pieces together in a small plastic bins, shoe boxes, Ziploc bags, or mesh lingerie bags – whatever works for you!
Make it a family habit to clean-up. Encourage your child to pick one toy at a time. Have them clean up before moving on to the next toy.
Make sure your toys are age appropriate. Put away baby toys as your child matures. Keep difficult or frustrating toys out of sight and try them again in a few months or when your child is older.
