13 April 2007
Progress Cleaning Up
Posted by Michelle under: Child Development; Chores; .
I have noticed recently that the difficulty I had with the kids getting overwhelmed at a big job seems to be getting better. Yesterday I let them dump out the toys in the toy bucket and when it was time to clean them up, they got right on it. Maybe Bethel’s developmental progress motivated David. Oh, they got distracted. And David told me, “I want you to clean, too.” Ouch. He was right (I had been on the computer). But overall, I have come to the conclusion that the lethargy in picking up was probably developmental mostly. I’m glad I didn’t make it a big discipline issue. And in the future, I’ll probably be more confident to help them clean up toy by toy if needed. They won’t need me to do that forever.
Incidentally, I had removed these toys to my bedroom for the last month. I did it so the kids that came to MusicPlay wouldn’t get distracted, but I found that my kids hardly missed them and my living room has been cleaner as a bonus. There was more room for rocket projects, dolly parties, kindergarten block towers, and chase games.
When I looked at the toys they dumped out, I realized that most of the toys were really below their developmental level, but above Laurel’s. So I may box them up for awhile anyway.
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2 Comments so far...
Tanya Says:
13 April 2007 at 10:07 pm.
I agree with you. I too have found that sometimes too many toys is just too much (for the kids and for the mom). I have recently packed up quite a few of my kids toys and I found that the toys that I left out (fun but mostly educational) they seem like they enjoy those few toys more now then they did before with all the stuff.
Michelle Says:
14 April 2007 at 12:28 pm.
Hi Tanya! I’ve heard before about getting rid of 90% of your toys from more than one place, and you’re right, it does make it easier to keep clean. I think that might be good for certain ages, but not necessarily others. Bethel (2yo) doesn’t have a lot that she can do that keeps her brain occupied yet. She’ll do Legos, but only for a few minutes. Then she’ll do blocks for a short time, and so on. Having a basket of toys is probably better for her, and baby, too. But David (3yo) right now is getting so much mileage out of blocks and construction paper, scissors, and glue, that I don’t think it matters.
