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.} 🙂
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.
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
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