Keeping Holiday Gifts Exciting
The holidays bring excitement, wrapping paper chaos, and piles of new toys. But a few weeks later, those once-thrilling gifts often sit untouched at the bottom of the toy bin. Parents might wonder: Why do kids lose interest so fast?
Behavior science offers a simple explanation: satiation. When kids have access to everything all at once, the value of each toy drops. The more available a reinforcer becomes, the less reinforcing it is. It’s not that your child doesn’t appreciate their new toys – it’s that they’re providing too much choice and not enough novelty.
Why Toy Rotation Works
Toy rotation is more than an organizing hack. It’s a way to manage motivation. By cycling toys in and out of view, you create natural periods of deprivation that keep items exciting and engaging.
When toys reappear after a break, they feel new again. The same principle applies to reinforcement in ABA—limited access keeps interest high and behavior strong.
This simple strategy supports:
Longer play periods, because fewer options reduce distraction.
More creative play, since limited materials encourage imagination.
Easier cleanup, because there’s less to manage at once.
How to Set It Up
You don’t need an elaborate system or color-coded bins to make this work. A few clear steps can make a big difference:
Sort and store. Pack away about half of the current toys. Keep a mix of favorites and forgotten ones for later.
Rotate weekly or biweekly. Bring back a few stored toys while putting others away. The exact schedule isn’t important—consistency is.
Observe what sticks. Notice which toys get long playtimes or spark social interaction. Those are your strong reinforcers.
Reintroduce with excitement. Present the toys like a surprise: “Guess what’s back out today?” The enthusiasm you model will shape your child’s motivation.
The goal isn’t to control how kids play—it’s to create an environment that keeps play meaningful. When toys come and go in rotation, children stay engaged longer, use their imagination more, and rediscover excitement in the things they already have.
This holiday season, try putting half the toys away instead of buying more. Sometimes the best gift is a little behavioral science.
Here’s to fewer battles and more breakthroughs.
– Jacqueline Shackil, BCBA, MS, MSIO
