Toddler Tuesday: Toys, Toys, Toys

I am guessing that if you have kids, you have toys. LOTS of toys. Toys that seem to take over your whole house!

Sometimes, I will walk around my classroom and clean up buckets of toys as I go. By the time I get back around to where I started, that first bucket of toys is dumped all over the floor again. How does this happen? And which of my crafty little toddler friends can I hold responsible for the drive-by bucket dump?

Well no matter who dumped the bucket, all the toddlers in my classroom must be a helper when playtime is done! You may be asking yourself how we get 14 tikes to assist in such a process. Here are a few tips:

*Singing a song "Tommy is a helper, thank you very much...Sally is a helper, thank you very much....Billy is a helper, thank you very much. Our room is getting cleaner!" They all want me to sing their name, but I can't until I see how they helped!! Works like a charm.

*Handing them a toy and telling them where it goes. I find that if I just say "clean up", my toddlers tend to wander around and not know (or know, but act like they don't) what to do. Handing them a specific toy brings a little focus to the table.

*And my favorite of all...labeling toy buckets with a photo of what toy goes in which bucket:

Having a photo label on each bucket helps the toddlers to learn for themselves where the toys go! I can hand a kiddo a toy, and they are able to find the photo that matches....this could be made into a little clean up game of its own!

Take photos of your toys at home and either stick them right on the bucket or on the shelf where you would like the toy to live! Give your little ones some practice in self-regulation when it comes to keeping their play area organized!

Another handy tip in Toyville is to rotate some toys out every few weeks...all you really need are a few large storage totes and a little space in your basement. Having fewer toys out at one time lets your kids see and use what is in front of them without being distracted by too much clutter. Plus, when you rotate other toys in later, they actually get played with. We rotate our toys out every 4 weeks or so, and it makes such a difference in their engagement and interest in free play time!