In this video I’m sharing a realistic toy rotation for our living room playspace (it’s also our main family space), so you’ll see it as it actually looks after a few weeks of play—bits everywhere, things chucked about, and not very inviting. I walk you through how I refresh the shelves so it feels calm and usable again, and I split it intentionally: the top shelves are for my three-year-old Samuel, and the bottom shelves are for my seven-month-old Noah. I rotate based on what they’re genuinely interested in right now. For Noah, that’s sensory play and cause-and-effect—different textures, cold metal, rattles, bells, and anything that makes a satisfying noise (including a little tin with a lid he can bang). For Samuel, it’s imaginative and pretend play, so I put out his absolute favourites like the Velcro cake and cut-up food, the toaster set, plus cars, diggers, little people and animals for open-ended stories. I also share what I’m doing with books (sensory books low down, paper books higher up) and a quick look upstairs at our quieter bedroom toys, like Lego, train track, and bedtime reads.