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.