I've mentioned this several times, but at this age Theodore is becoming more and more interested in manipulating his environment with his hands. This is done in a coupe of ways. One, through the use of tactile mobiles. Two, by introducing some simple toys - mostly rattles. Now, being a fourth baby, we have a lot of options for materials that Teddy *might* like at this age. Right now, I have a small selection of items that I can offer based on my observations of his skills and interests.
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Even with a small selection of toys, I want to make sure we are not offering Teddy too much at one time. Therefore, just like with older kids, I rotate the choices available to him at any one time. I choose toy rotation for a few reasons including:
- keeping his interest without overwhelming him - I want to offer a variety of textures, weights and sounds but not so much at once that he can't focus on each item.
- allows for concentration -With only a thing or two to concentrate on, Teddy can really focus on each item
- less overwhelming - I don't want to provide so much that it is overstimulating
Unlike the older kids (where I might rotate toys every few weeks), Teddy's rotations are much shorter. He might have a rattle in the morning, and then a different one in the afternoon. To make the rotation easier, I gather all of the possible choices in one basket and store in a convenient location (out of Teddy's reach/sight). Then, I place 3 choices out for him on his shelf. It's a super easy way to give him choices and make the rotation easy for me.
Have you used rotation with your baby? How do you organize baby toys?
This post is week 16 of my Montessori Baby series focusing on Theodore.
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