Toy Organization
Friday 
in mid-morning 
Mystie
I have had our toys in separate clear, plastic, lidded containers for a couple years now, plus one that has grown to three laundry baskets for trucks and odd one-piece toys. All the dinosaurs are together in one container, all the wood blocks in another, all the guys in their own, etc. etc. When all the toys were together in one large container, the boys didn’t necessarily play with “blocks” because it was too difficult to get enough pieces together and there were too many other unrelated things that distracted them. After I separated the toys into their own containers, the boys had more, longer concentrated play with each sort of toy and the messiness of toys greatly diminished. Our rule, generally, is two containers can be out at a time (so each boy can choose one and they can play with blocks and guys together or dinosaurs and Lincoln Logs), and if they want to change, first they have to pick up what is out. Then the mess isn’t so large as to overwhelm them and they can keep it tidy themselves.
From this I have developed a policy. I don’t pick up their toys. If they get it out, they put it away. We are all trying to cultivate tidy habits, and so I do my best to model this new-for-me habit with my own things, but I want them to develop it themselves as well. With the smaller amounts of toys out at a time they can do it and they usually do it cheerfully because it’s just what we do around here now and not a big deal. The only thing that makes it difficult for them at this point is when all the toys are out of the container, they don’t remember which one goes where, it is difficult to start. Every once and a while there are more than two open, as well, and so they have a hard time getting the job started because they want to put things in the right container but they aren’t sure which is the right one. Labels are fine for me, because I can read, but aren’t helpful for them.
Since the only time they need to know what goes where is when the boxes are empty, I have taped pictures of the toys to the bottom inside of their respective containers. When they are put away on the shelf, the clear containers themselves show what is inside, making a picture redundant. Moreover, if the picture were on the outside, it would only be on one side (unless I used a lot of pictures and tape), so they wouldn’t readily see it if they saw it from a different side or angle. This way, if the container is empty, they look inside and there is the picture of what belongs in it.
They like it so far. I hope this isn’t teaching them to be anal about such things, but Hans does like his toys to go into the right container and gets a tad upset with Jaeger if he puts a plastic block with the wood blocks. But Jaeger is learning also and can understand similarity.
I count it as a preschool sorting exercise.
(MCL)
with 
(personal library)
