Originally Posted by Crystal:
Getting the stations set up is a great start. Gradually over time you can add more and the children will get used to it - what I found is that they tend to appreciate it when things are in order (stations) and they have more variety of materials.....they will learn to be respectful of the things you bring in. Redirect, redirect, redirect, until they understand. It takes time, but having as much stuff as I do actually makes my job easier - they have access to ample materials and supplies so there is less fighting over stuff, and they keep themselves actively involved in play - I just facilitate it!
I agree with what Crystal said but want to add a suggestion. Once you get your stations set up, start out small and simple with what/how much you put in each station. If you have lego, put out 20 blocks instead of 50 or 100, put out 2-3 trucks instead of 10, put out 4-5 Little People and a few accessories instead of a whole bucketfull, put out two puzzles instead of five and two babies & a small container of playfood instead of all of what you've got, etc. As they learn how to play and put away their toys you can add more items to each station. We keep our manipulatives (puzzles, magnetic dressing dolls) magnifying glasses, sorting activities, etc. on a small bookcase next to a table and those toys (table toys as we called them) had to be played with AT the table only so we didn't lose pieces. When I first introduced the table toy idea I had about four activities on the bookshelf and only one child was allowed to play at the table at a time. The child was required to tidy up their first activity before pulling out another or leaving the table. Once I could trust them to do this (only took 4-6 weeks or so) I put 6-7 activities on the bookcase and two kids could be at the table at a time. Kepping the amount of toys available to a minimum helped keep things under control during the learning process of a new way of using the toys/stations.