How to Host a Toy Swap

The thing I remember about toys from when my kids were little is that no matter how great they initially thought the toy was, the excitement always wore off within a couple of months.  There were very few toys my kids played and played with–like I would say a handful each.  New toys always brought a new level of interest and excitement, but it was hard to justify buying more toys, when they had a room full of toys.  It felt like a total waste of money and space, just for them to be entertained.

The thing is, I totally get that finding ways for the kids to self-entertain is key to your sanity.  Rather than going out and buying them a new toy or gadget, though, why not host a toy swap?  You can get together with other mom’s with like-aged kids and refresh your kiddos’ toy stash without spending any cash.  {Of course, you can always just send them outside to play with sticks and mud too.}  🙂

Hosting a toy swap is pretty basic.  Start by getting a group of people together.  You can draw from just about anywhere–your friends, family, neighbors, church, etc.  You can even contact the kids’ school and see if they would be willing to put out an email asking people interested to call/email you.

Once you have a group of people, key them in on the rules.  You can do a toy for toy swap, a ticket system {where peeps get a ticket for each toy they bring}, or you can do some sort of coded system for the worth of the toy {i.e. $10 and under is a blue ticket, $10-30 is a green, $30-$50 a yellow, etc.}.  The weighted system allows for a sort of built-in currency, that makes everything “fair.”

Next, decide on a date and hosting location.  Your garage, living room, school parking lot, whatever.  Decide whether it will be a kid-free zone or not.  There’s pros and cons to both, I think.  On the one hand, a kid-free zone means no fights, more order, etc.  But, kids-aloud swaps means the kids get to pick toys that interest them AND they may be more apt to dig a little deeper into their closets for additional exchange currency.

If you want to make it a pleasant all-around experience, you can have everyone bring a drink/dish to nosh on before or after you’ve done the exchange {“the exchange” kind of makes it sound like a drug deal}.  I don’t think having refreshments is a deal-breaker, though, if you are looking to keep things simple.

Also, it’s probably best to agree on how you will handle the leftover toys up front.  Will un-chosen toys be taken back home by their original owners?  Will you be donating them to a charity?  Will you leave them in your living room until they start to become part of the decor?  It’s totally up to you, but agreeing up front means no one feels slighted.

Really, toy swaps are pretty basic.  I actually really, really wish I would’ve thought of or come across this idea when the kids were younger.  It totally fits into my personal motto this year:  “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Have any of you ever done a toy swap?  How did it go?  Anymore tips for peeps interested in hosting one?

~Mavis

photo credit