The circular economy is increasingly present in people's lives. At the time of getting dressed, when buying items for the house or to practice their favorite hobbies and, why not also take it into account with the games of the little ones. Today children have many toys, some do not use them more than once or twice, others quickly outgrow them and some do not even look at them directly. Why leave them taking up shelf space and collecting dust, when they can make other children happy?

Also, doing this exercise with your children is important, not only because it is good for them to select the ones they play with, the ones they are tired of or the ones they want to keep despite the fact that they are older for them; but because it can bring them other benefits.

They can learn a lot, but selecting which items to keep and which to donate or throw away is no easy task.

The first thing to do is to take out the toys, see which ones they have played with lately and which ones have already outgrown them or they simply don't like them anymore. At this point their help is very important, but you also have to make them understand that, although they feel sorry to part with something, they are no longer using it and it can make another child very happy.

When you have selected what you no longer want, you have to see what is in good condition to be able to give and what is not. If it is a puzzle, you have to check that it has all the pieces; if it is a game, that it has all the elements, etc. Those that are not complete or have something broken will be thrown away or recycled, whenever possible.

All the toys and stories are already separated (there will also be children who will love receiving them), now they have to be prepared well. You have to try to clean the toys, you have to wash the stuffed animals or the clothes of dolls and check that the stories do not have torn pages. In fact, if someone has a slightly peeling lid and can be fixed by gluing it back together, it will also be a good lesson for them to see how with the right care it can be made as good as new again.

Now all that remains is to put them in a box and find where you can donate them. You can ask in associations such as Cáritas, which has a point where it collects them, or directly, ask in the neighborhood parish. They probably know if there are any families in the area who would appreciate them. Another option is to consult an association that works with children in hospitals.

At a time when many new toys arrive, such as Christmas or birthdays, take the opportunity to 'clean up' and give a second life to those objects with which your child has had such good times, it should be one of those traditions that all families have established.