Toys, Toys Everywhere
There are a number of compelling reasons why toddlers need to learn to pick up their toys — and not just to fulfill your desire for a neat house. Not only will toddlers break the toys by walking on them, but also possibly hurt themselves tripping or stumbling amid the rubble. In the process of learning to care for their possessions, toddlers learn to sort and organize. Little ones won't know how to do that, so plan on doing most of the work for quite some time.
Because toddlers slow things down to a snail's pace, it's often easier for parents to pick up everything. But when parents look ahead and consider that playthings will need to be picked up every day for the next eighteen years, they'll realize how important it is to work actively on teaching this skill now.
Toddlers do like to go back and forth between toys, playing with one for a while, moving on to another one, then returning to the first, so the strategy of insisting that one toy be put up before the next is taken out is too rigid. But to hold the chaos in check (which makes many toddlers, like many adults, feel scattered), to keep toys from becoming trampled on and broken, and to teach organizational skills, consider these guidelines:
Only allow two or three different toys out at once, not counting that special truck, doll, or ball he wants to keep close at hand at all times.
Keep the quantity down to items that can be carried to his room or piled into a container he can drag to the toy storage area in a single trip.
Store toys that aren't being used much in the closet. Bring them out for a rainy day surprise.
Cleanup Games
When your toddler is looking for something new to play with, say, “Let's pick these up and find you a new toy.” Then make the picking up of toys into a game. Ask, “How many of these can you carry?”Place one toy in her right hand, one in her left, tuck one under her arm, and another under her neck if she's a practiced walker. Keep up the fun by giving a quick tummy tickle and seeing if she can manage not to drop them.
If you're putting away toys in a carrier that a toddler can drag from room to room, toss a toy inside and then hand her one to toss inside and continue taking turns. Count aloud as you alternate placing toys in her box. Have a race and see who can pick up toys the fastest. Make the trek to her room pleasurable — this is a great time for a hiking song or a chorus of
A Place for Everything …
Designate a special spot in the toddler's bedroom or toy storage area for each toy. Show young toddlers where to put each item, handing him one item at a time, while giving verbal instructions. “The clown goes on your bed.” “The ball goes in this box.” “The blocks go in this basket.”When the toys are put away, gush your congratulations (“You did it!”) and help him select a new toy or activity.
When a child is old enough to want to have a say in the matter (i.e., when he's going through the stage in which when you say, “Let's pick up the toys,” he refuses, and if you say, “
Toy Storage
Now that traditional toy chests have fallen from grace (see Chapter 7, “Safety First”), be more creative about designing toy storage that solves some of the problems big chests posed. For instance, consider these solutions to typical problems:
PROBLEM |
SOLUTION |
Small toys slip to the bottom of deep chests where they are lost or broken. |
Use a shallow storage box. |
Everything gets mixed together so toddlers can't find the toys they want. |
Use a number of smaller containers rather than a few large ones to keep toys separated and organized. Remove the lids so toddlers can see inside. Place toys on open shelves low on the wall so toddlers can easily see and reach their toys. |
Toys have to be carried to the chest a few at a time, requiring many trips back and forth when putting toys away. |
Use small- to medium-size cardboard boxes, lightweight laundry baskets, or pillowcases that children can drag. They'll enjoy playing in them, too! Use gym bags or small suitcases with handles. |
Store toys low to the ground so children can reach them, rather than on high shelves (which beg to be climbed), and beware of brick-and-board shelves that can topple! Try these other storage solutions:
Make a stuffed animal holder from a fishnet or see-through beach bag and hang it on a low hook or hooks.
Attach Velcro dots to the wall and to toys so your child can pull them down and stick them up.
Store books in a plastic dish drainer.
Attach wicker baskets to the wall (low so children can reach them) and drop toys inside.
