One of the biggest challenges with our son is getting him to clean up his toys. No, this is not the most crucial or important thing we want him to learn, but we live in a small house and everyday my son seems to bring out more toys than the day before.
We've tried leading by example. We've tried singing the cleanup song, which he loves, but his interest in cleaning does not last long, leaving Mom and Dad to do the majority of it. We've even tried the "toy jail", which consists of taking the toys away and placing them in a designated spot, out of reach, for a certain amount of time, or until the child earns the toy back. I really liked that idea, but my son didn't understand the concept of "jail", and taking his toys away when he didn't understand the end goal just ended up in tears and tantrums. Plus, a couple hours later he had already forgotten about the toy, so the prospect of getting it back was not very appealing.
Then, my mom found this article “Let Nothing Be Homeless” in Martha Stewart by Liz Jenkins of National Association of Professional Organizers. All toys should have a home. You can lead by example and show them an appropriate home for their toys, or ask your children where they think the toys should call home. Talk with your children and ask them if certain toys should share a home. For example: dolls and their dresses, or the markers and coloring books. She explains how this principle is easy for children to understand, and she is absolutely right.
My son understands the concept of home. This is one of the earlier concepts that small children learn, because home is so important to them. It also seems to continue the play for them. Putting the toys in their homes is something that they might initiate during play on their own. When we ask him to put his toys in their home, he says ok and even says “bye bye” to his toys as they go home.
Besides the fact that my son can fully understand this concept, it also makes the whole process in the here and now, so that he doesn’t later forget that his blocks are gone because hours ago he didn’t pick them up. My son lives in the now, even if he remembers I took his blocks away, and he doesn’t always, he most likely doesn’t remember the reason. She goes on to explain that allowing the children to help decide where the toys belong, and by defining it as their home will empower your children while simultaneously engaging them. I agree, and so far, so good. J
We've tried leading by example. We've tried singing the cleanup song, which he loves, but his interest in cleaning does not last long, leaving Mom and Dad to do the majority of it. We've even tried the "toy jail", which consists of taking the toys away and placing them in a designated spot, out of reach, for a certain amount of time, or until the child earns the toy back. I really liked that idea, but my son didn't understand the concept of "jail", and taking his toys away when he didn't understand the end goal just ended up in tears and tantrums. Plus, a couple hours later he had already forgotten about the toy, so the prospect of getting it back was not very appealing.
Then, my mom found this article “Let Nothing Be Homeless” in Martha Stewart by Liz Jenkins of National Association of Professional Organizers. All toys should have a home. You can lead by example and show them an appropriate home for their toys, or ask your children where they think the toys should call home. Talk with your children and ask them if certain toys should share a home. For example: dolls and their dresses, or the markers and coloring books. She explains how this principle is easy for children to understand, and she is absolutely right.
My son understands the concept of home. This is one of the earlier concepts that small children learn, because home is so important to them. It also seems to continue the play for them. Putting the toys in their homes is something that they might initiate during play on their own. When we ask him to put his toys in their home, he says ok and even says “bye bye” to his toys as they go home.
Besides the fact that my son can fully understand this concept, it also makes the whole process in the here and now, so that he doesn’t later forget that his blocks are gone because hours ago he didn’t pick them up. My son lives in the now, even if he remembers I took his blocks away, and he doesn’t always, he most likely doesn’t remember the reason. She goes on to explain that allowing the children to help decide where the toys belong, and by defining it as their home will empower your children while simultaneously engaging them. I agree, and so far, so good. J