Playroom Chronicles Podcast
Where parents come to rethink play, and rediscover toy joy by learning to Think Outside The Toy Box® and Play Like It's 1979™.
Playroom Chronicles Podcast
The Secret Formula To Picking The Right Toys For Your Kids
Have you ever wondered why your child stands in a room full of toys and still claims they're bored? After two decades reviewing hundreds of toys and speaking with thousands of parents, I've discovered the answer—and it's not what most parents think.
Most playrooms today have transformed into graveyards of forgotten plastic, perpetuating an exhausting cycle of buying, storing, and eventually donating barely-used toys. The problem isn't that you're buying bad toys; it's that many don't provide meaningful developmental engagement for your child.
Today, I'm sharing my game-changing 3-to-1 ABC Toy Method that has saved my sanity, wallet, and home organization as both a toy expert and mom. This simple framework categorizes toys into three essential development buckets: Active toys for physical skills, Behavioral toys for social-emotional growth, and Cognitive toys for brain development. The method teaches you to balance these crucial categories while limiting what I call "Dessert toys"—those trendy collectibles and character merchandise with limited play value.
You'll learn exactly how to apply this method when shopping, how to audit your existing toy collection, and practical strategies for deepening play with the toys you already have. I share specific examples of turning a simple basketball into an engaging activity through play prompts that encourage independent exploration. This approach doesn't just reduce clutter and save money—it fundamentally transforms how your child engages with their environment.
Ready to end the "I'm bored" complaints once and for all? Try my 3-to-1 ABC Toy Method this week and see the difference in your child's play quality. Connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at Playroom Chronicles or sign up for my free newsletter at PlayroomChronicles.com for more strategies to make playtime more meaningful and parenting less stressful.
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Why do kids have shelves of toys and still say I'm bored? There's one simple toy buying mistake most parents make, and today I'm giving you the method to fix it for good. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast, where toys spark imagination, learning and independent play. I'm Sharlee Deloach, a toy and play expert, but a mom just like you, navigating building blocks, puzzle pieces and snack crumbs every day, ever wondered which toy will actually get played with? Or how do I keep my child engaged without a screen? You're in the right place. From ready-day rescues to skill building superstars, this is your go-to for honest toy recommendations, real talk and play ideas that work, ready to turn chaos into creativity. One toy at a time, then. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast. Hey there, welcome back to the Playroom Chronicles.
Charlene DeLoach:I'm Charlene Deloach, your parenting play partner, and today I want to let you in on something that's going to change the way you pick toys forever. Because here's the truth Most parents are buying the wrong toys forever. Because here's the truth Most parents are buying the wrong toys Not wrong because they're bad, but wrong because they don't actually do anything meaningful for your child's development. And I say that not as a judgment, but as someone who's been in this toy world for over 20 years, reviewing hundreds of toys, talking to thousands of parents and seeing playrooms turn into graveyards for forgotten plastic. And let's be real, you've thousands of parents and seeing playrooms turn into graveyards for forgotten plastic. And let's be real, you've probably been there, right. You buy a toy you think your kid will love, you spend the money, clear the shelf for it, maybe even hide it until a birthday or holiday, and then, after one or two excited uses or a week, it gathers dust. And now you're stuck in that rinse and repeat cycle Buy, spend, store, sell, donate, repeat, right, exhausting. So let me introduce you to my custom framework, the 3-to-1 ABC toy method. It's been my personal sanity saver, wallet saver and clutter controller, both as a mom and as a toy expert, and it's going to help you break that toy clutter cycle once and for all.
Charlene DeLoach:So this is what it is, the ABC breakdown. The A is for active toys, the ones that get your kids moving Think balls, scooters, jump ropes or obstacle course kits, anything that promotes gross motor skills, coordination or physical energy release. That's the A. Now B is for behavioral toys, those toys that help your kid develop social and emotional intelligence, like dolls for caregiving, board games for turn-taking or emotional flashcards, right to help them learn to name what they feel. And C stands for cognitive toys. These are those quote-unquote educational toys, the ones that build brain power, the STEM and STEAM toys, the math cubes, puzzles, the magnet tiles, the coding kits, the toy cash registers, anything that builds these educational skills, academic or real world.
Charlene DeLoach:And here's the kicker the three-to-one part of my three-to-one ABC toy method is that for every three toys that have the ABC, you get one D toy. So let me repeat that, for every three toys that fit into those ABC buckets, you get one D toy. So wait, what is a D toy, right? Well, I call it the dessert toy. It's those trendy, collectible, just for fun items. Think of those little mystery bag toys, a plush with no function, or a toy from a fast food kid's meal, right, not bad. Just not where we should be spending most of our toy budget or storage space. Because here's the thing kids naturally gravitate towards ABC toys, those active, behavioral, cognitive toys, when we give them access and opportunity to do those toys. Because kids, as they're growing their brains, crave the stimulation, the skills, the challenge, right. But if D toys, the dessert toys, dominate the playroom. Boredom kicks in fast, shallow play ticks over, and then we wonder why they bounce from toy to toy without engaging. So how do you actually use this method right In a day-to-day toy buying, toy storage process? Well, imagine you're shopping for your child's birthday.
Charlene DeLoach:Before you toss that flashy toy into the cart whether it's a virtual cart or you're actually a target and pushing your cart around the store while you're holding that toy, ask yourself does it either fit an A or B or C? Would it promote some sort of active play? Would it promote some sort of behavioral development, or would it actually promote some sort of cognitive development? Does it get them moving? Will it help them care, share, express themselves? Will it stretch the brain or build a skill? And if you can answer yes to at least one of those things that, yep, it does. It supports active play oh, great, it goes in the cart. Or, yes, it does for behavioral social emotional. Okay, great, it goes in the cart. Or yes, it does for behavioral social emotional, great, it goes in the cart. If it's a C, great, it goes in the cart.
Charlene DeLoach:Now, bonus if it actually fits all three, and there are toys out there that can fit all three. Again, bonus if it hits two out of the three, but as long as it hits one, then consider putting in the cart. If it doesn't stop and think, is it really something worth spending money on or providing space for? Now, if it ends up being a D toy, like a dessert toy, doesn't mean you can't put it in your cart. It's just stop for a minute and say is there another toy I can get? That maybe would actually be an ABC toy, or geez, I've been buying so many dessert toys that maybe this time I'll put this back and not get it, because we have too many right now, or grandma is going to be getting a D toy or something like that right.
Charlene DeLoach:So think about whether or not it really deserves a space in your home, because really, not only are you trying to make space for it in your budget, then you have to make space for it in your budget, then you have to make space for it in your home. So really think about whether or not you want to do that. Once you have that methodology down, it makes shopping for toys a lot easier. You're going to find toys that are really going to enhance your child's play. It's actually going to promote them to play, because now they are getting even though they may not know the depth of it, but they're going to be getting those skills, that richness that they're looking for with those toys.
Charlene DeLoach:And you can also apply this method to the toys you already have in your playroom. So if you're about to go through some sort of spring cleaning or fall cleaning and you're like, hey, I need to go through all these toys and clean the clutter out or get ready for the holidays, well, apply this method to take that toy, look at it and say, hey, does it support A, b or C, or is it a D? And sort it out. Keep all the A, b and Cs and then maybe put a little pile of D toys and say, you know what, what are the ones that the kids still seem to play with most often? And maybe those still get to have a space in the home and everything else gets sold or donated. Or if you again really like to still do the toy rotation method, well, those D toys, those dessert toys, you have to go in a bucket and they get to come out every once in a while for some fun and frivolous play. Right, we all need our cookies and brownies every once in a while too, but we also know those aren't gonna sustain us. And that's the same method with toys.
Charlene DeLoach:Now, once you have a playroom filled with ABC toys, see how your kids react, see how their kids play. And if you still see that they're not really going into depth with some of these toys, or still walking by them or still saying they're bored, this is when you really need to start doing and modeling some play prompts. For example, let's just say a basketball right, it's an active toy. And you can say go outside and play basketball for a little while and they're like I don't want to, I don't want to, I'm bored, I don't want to, I've been playing basketball. It's not exciting enough anymore, which is fine.
Charlene DeLoach:But now maybe go outside with some chalk and big circles on the driveway right and chalk and say, all right, well then, don't use the basketball hoop. What I want you to do is see if you can try to throw the basketball into the next circle on the driveway. Or I want you to bounce the ball in the circle 10 times and then go to the next circle and bounce that five times, and you can even have more fun where the chalk is different colors, and if it's red chalk and they're standing in that circle with the basketball, that means they have to do something silly, right? They have to bounce the ball and do jumping jacks at the same time. Or, in the green circle, they bounce the ball 10 times and have a little fun game with it, and all you have to do is write it down on a sticky note or just write down a piece of paper or index card, hand it to them and then have them go outside and play. You don't necessarily need to be out there with them doing it, right.
Charlene DeLoach:As you know, I think independent play is extremely important for them to go out and figure out and learn themselves.
Charlene DeLoach:So it's a great way to sort of be part of the play by giving them the ideas and letting them go execute it on their own. So this is your challenge this week Go into your playroom and do a toy audit, sort the toys into A, b, c and D categories and if you see that the balance is off, well, donate some of the D toys or rotate in more ABC options and the next time you're shopping, use the three-to-one ABC method, and I think this simple shift can help you cut clutter, save money and actually enjoy seeing your kids play again. And your kids will enjoy playing again too, because play isn't just about passing the time. It's how your child builds a mind, a body and a heart that works well together. So thanks for hanging out with me again today. If you love this strategy and want more, you can find me on Instagram, at Playroom Chronicles, also on Facebook, or sign up for my free newsletter. Just head to PlayroomChroniclescom. Until next time, remember play with purpose and parent with confidence. You got this.
