Following breakfast, the boys play together in Mark's room for 1 - 1 1/2 hours together. I'm in and out during that time directing some play, but I was finding that for the most part they emptying the toy box and pulling out every toy they could get their hands on. There was hardly a part of the carpet that was visible by the end of morning playtime. Plus, it was taking 20 or more minutes to clean up before lunch and it seemed to be very overwhelming for Mark. I had tried to tell him to only get out 1 or 2 toys at a time, but that didn't seem to be possible for him. I think both boys were on toy overload. So I decided to implement a new system a few weeks ago to see if we could solve some of these problems.
Our new system is visible on the book shelves. I also stack the books horizontally
so that it's easier for the boys to put them away without getting frustrated.
After we finished sorting Mark and I talked about how we were only going to play with 2 things at one time and that we would completely put one toy away before getting out a new toy. And all but 2 boxes went into the closet. I also would like to take some pictures and affix them to the boxes. Mark does pretty well with word recognition, but I think that would help Luke to be able to also pick up and participate more in clean up time. I thought Mark would resist this new system, but he has really responded well to it. He has more room to play because the floor isn't covered with every toy he owns. And he still has the freedom to choose any toy to play with - he just has to choose 1 or 2 at a time. Best of all, it's made clean up a breeze. He isn't overwhelmed by the process and can easily sort two different toys into boxes without being reduced to tears.I try to remember that this is a little boy's room. It isn't going to look perfect - and I don't even want it to. In fact, I haven't spent a lot of money on furniture or decor because they are rough and play hard. I don't plan on painting the walls because there are multiple car and/or train crashes into them a day anyway. But I do want to teach my children to take care of their things and maintain order. I believe that's part of being a good steward. And I want them to be able to play and enjoy their toys, which they can't do in a room that has no space or with toys they can't even find.
More toys stored in the closet until their use.
Books with soft pages go in the top of the closet so that we can see them and remember
to read them often, but Luke can't tear the pages because he has access to them.
Our new system really works great. What tips do you have for me? How do you organize toys and books, especially in shared spaces?
Great job! Another idea for books is to store them in an open container like a basket, standing upright. That way the kids can easily flip through and find what they want and putting them back is simple.
ReplyDeleteMy 5 year old daughter and 1 year old son share a room, and we put the toys he can access down low and the stuff that has small pieces or is special to her up higher. Because we're so strapped for space, I had to move her dress-up clothes armoire out of their room and into our bedroom (where it totally matches better, by the way!) and then I got the idea to take the dress up clothes off hangers and put them into plastic tubs with lids. The armoire will hold 10-12 of these tubs, so I am going to put her baby dolls in one, Build-A-Bear stuff in one, play food stuff in one...you get the idea. These are the things that she only plays with when friends are over, and instead of taking up space in the kids' room they can be hidden away until it's time to play. That's probably my biggest organizational achievement recently! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is just what I needed! I've got 2 little boys that share a room and it's always a disaster area. I feel a toy purge coming on.
ReplyDeleteI put everything in big tubs separated by theme. Ex. All little people in one tub, all dress-up clothes in another tub, all toy food and cooking stuff in another tub. My kids get to pick ONE tub each day. It keeps the toys rotated, fresh and new, while taming the mess It also makes clean up easier. Since they only get one tub, everything get put back in the same tub. NO SORTING through piles of toys.My number one rule is: If it's smaller than a basketball it gets put into a tub. That way I can be in complete control of how many toys get spread throughout the house every day.
ReplyDeleteI just shared with my sister in law how my children would begin with a neat room play for quite a while and then we would clean it back up because they knew where all went of course mom had to be in charge of clean up but they did the work
ReplyDeleteI bought a pretty bookcase from Target.com that has storage boxes inside it. The boxes are wooden and painted to coordinate with my colors in my house, and each one has a chalkboard space on the front for easy labeling. I am a huge fan of storage that blends into my home, instead of feeling like a warehouse! I also have a pretty espresso-colored wooden clothes hamper in my living room that serves as the toy box for dress-up clothes and such. Both units blend in and don't look like there are toys inside, but the kids know where they are and how to put them away.
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