for toys to be able to stay in their "area"??

I have large areas allotted for cars/trains/trucks, another area for our "house", another area for puzzles/blocks/cards, and another area for books ... how do these things always end up spread out all over the room?

I know with my last rearranging of furniture, it has provided way too much open space (hence the problems of constantly running and not being able to stay in one area to play with the toys).

I just wish there was an easy way to arrange it all into centers without me having to buy more shelves. Right now I use the Trofast storage system from Ikea and have 2 of those ... I think I maybe want to get another one.

Ugh, that's all ... just rambling.

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I hear you!!! I like my playrooom organized and clean.

The problem is I see a dress up hat that should go in the dress up section, DCK sees a spaceship and puts it transportation.

I gave up... It is their room until 6pm, then I can sort again.

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Maybe get some colored foam mats ,use a different color for each play area. Much easier for the little ones to learn where they should play with certain items .

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My kiddos play happily, engaged and focused for literally hours on end. The toys end up everywhere. Then we clean them up.

Everyone is happier and plays better when they aren't being run after for a hundred different rules.

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That ^^^^ was seriously THE hardest lesson I have had to learn about being a parent and about being a provider.

Needing the room neat and clean, needing the toys to be sorted and organized into nicely staged areas and settings was MY issue/need.

I look back now at some of the toys my own kids had and how little use they had and realize now it was because I was so bent on making sure it was kept clean, organized and sorted...and of course, expected it to be played in the correct manner... so it was easier for my kids to not play with something that to follow the rules.

When I first opened my daycare, I drove myself batty trying to keep things in their appropriate areas, kept in perfect condition and put away and played with according to directions.

I am past that now. Thank goodness...

Me = no more stressing about it all
The kids = get to PLAY. Deeply, wholly and FREELY.

*I do think there should be a support group though for former addicts*

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I'm fine with them playing with things in different ways, and I'm not following them around with a ton of rules ... I just feel like right now, with the group I have, they are having trouble being focused on playing with something. They will start to play with the cars, see someone putting dress up on, bring a hsndful of cars over to the dress up, dump the bins out, put something on (or drag a trail of dress up items) bsck over to the cars ... and then stop on the way to stack 3 blocks, but dumping the whole bin out...And then they end up chasing each other around running and screaming. And this all happens within a span of 2 minutes ... I don't know, maybe I am being too picky. And I know they're 2-3 yr olds and they're not going to sit and play with a toy for a long time ... I just wish they could do so for at least 5 minutes, put it away when they're done, and THEN move on to something different.

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Sounds like there are too many choices.

I would put 2-3 choices out for them to choose from.

What I did to "teach" my DCK's about playing for longer periods was to set out the 2-3 choices available at that time.

Then I set the timer for 30-45 minutes. NO TOY/ACTIVITY changes until the bell went off. If they didn't want to play anymore before the bell went off, they just observed the others until it was time to change activities

Now, I don't use the timer anymore and the kids choose what they want to play and they play deep now. They often play for more than an hour.

Sometimes, someone will say "Is it tine to change toys yet?"...usually after a LONG time so...

That's all I have. Less choices, more time.

Rotate the choices weekly, monthly, daily....whatever works for you.

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Exactly. Let them play.

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I have a doorbell I keep in the playroom. I have the button in my living room. When I see lots of toys dumped, I ring the doorbell as a que to stop and pick up toys that are not being used. Every one helps.....this is called teamwork. Works for me anyway!

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