Why and how to do Tonies rotation

The theory goes that having a balanced selection of Tonies can combat boredom and motivate deeper, more meaningful listening. Clever research actually found that the Toniebox is played 148 times more than any regular toy but what if we could up that time even more? Yes really!

Why should I rotate our Tonies? 

Inspired by Montessori thinking, rotating your Tonies helps kiddies focus on what’s in front of them so they can play and listen more independently (giving you time back for the 101 things on your to-do list!).

When there’s loaaaaads of Tonies available, they’ll tend to gravitate towards super familiar ones and they might get bored quicker. They can also feel totally overwhelmed and not even sure where to begin. Rotating and then reintroducing favourite Tonies reignites their love for the story or song. It’ll also inspire them to try new stories and genres with their other Tonies. Not to mention, it makes tidying away easier and less stressful, result!

How do I do Tonies rotation? 

There are no set rules to rotating their Tonies but we do have some suggestions to make it easier. Here are two routes you can follow:

The quick-and-easy option: 

Just gather up all their Tonies in one bag or box. Pick four or five Tonies out, we find this is enough to give children a mix to choose from, but not so much that it’ll overwhelm them. Remember to include at least one favourite and display them somewhere easy to reach. And then every week, just switch them out. Watch while they dig into a whole ‘new’ batch of Tonies, it’ll feel like Christmas Day every rotation day. Yay! 

If you want to put a little more thought into it (we see you tonies® super fans!) then follow these steps…

• Step 1: Organise the collection

Get all their Tonies in one space. Look at each one individually. Do they love to listen to it or maybe they’re all listened-out? Tonies they definitely love and play with, keep. If there’s any that never make it onto their Toniebox, then why not consider selling them, giving them away, or tucking them away for future family members? You can also rotate seasonal Tonies for Christmas, Halloween and Easter.

• Step 2: Categorise the keepers

So now you’ve got a good selection to work with. Divide them into separate boxes with our handy categories - Wake up, quiet time, out and about, playtime and bedtime. Think about the Tonies they use most in each part of the day and place them in the relevant boxes. Here’s a little example for you:

• Getting ready with JJ for wake up 

• Paddington for quiet time

• The Gruffalo for when you’re out and about

• Encanto for playtime

• Peppa’s Bedtime Stories for getting ready for bed

Step 3: Build the boxes 

Choose 1 to 2 Tonies from each of your boxes. This way you will have some energetic ones, some relaxing ones and some educational ones in each rotation. The end result is that your kid gets a selection of Tonies to play with at any one time, with a good spread of each of the categories. Remember to make sure there is at least one Tonie in the selection that is guaranteed to spark their interest and keep them engaged for longer. 

• Step 4: Visual display 

Now for the fun bit! Display the Tonies from the rotation box in the most exciting way you can. We’ve got tons of creative shelving high street hacks here or check out our Instagram storage highlight for some how to videos. 

• Step 5: And rotate! 

How often do you rotate? It’s up to you. You could fit it to a schedule like once a week before the weekend. Maybe set a handy reminder on your calendar or phone? Or you can do it ad hoc. When your little one seems a bit listened-out of the Tonies they’ve got, put that set of Tonies away and take out the next rotation of Tonies.

You’ll be rotating gurus in no time! We hope this helps your kids get even more fun out of their Tonies and you enjoy less mess and stress around the house.