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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>How Many Toys Do You Leave Out? / Playroom Organization
momneedscoffee 09:56 AM 02-15-2017
Hey all. So I am just wondering how many/what kinds of toys you leave out and available for your daycare. I feel like I am constantly picking up toys lately even though I've downsized a lot from the beginning. I have 2 four yr old boys, 2 two year old girls, and a 16 month old. (A 2 and 4 year old are my own) I have 2 tall shelving units - I try to put the toys they will for sure play with on the bottom shelves ( dress up stuff, dolls, books, and a couple other toys that they actually play with). Also have a play kitchen, piano, chalkboard, little ppl dollhouse out all the time. Blocks, puzzzles, games, and extra toys are locked up in the closet. Art stuff is out of reach obviously. So I feel like the 80% of our stuff (there's alot) is out of their reach but I'm still having a problem with stuff EVERYWHERE. Also the young girls love to dump the bins that they sneak off the top shelf using chairs 
Apologies for rambling, I guess what I'm asking for is just an example of how your playroom are set up or what you do to avoid the problem of having kid stuff all over the place!
Apologies for rambling, I guess what I'm asking for is just an example of how your playroom are set up or what you do to avoid the problem of having kid stuff all over the place!
Ariana 10:07 AM 02-15-2017
At this age kids should be cleaning up after themselves. I have a 2 year old dumper and in just two weeks at 2 days a week he has stopped dumping solely because I make him clean it all up after he does it!
I keep a lot of "messy" toys out, like animals, blocks and kitchen food. The kids clean it all up throughout the day and at the end of the day. I also consider it a big part of my job to tidy it up as well.
I keep a lot of "messy" toys out, like animals, blocks and kitchen food. The kids clean it all up throughout the day and at the end of the day. I also consider it a big part of my job to tidy it up as well.
Jupadia 10:14 AM 02-15-2017
I have quite a bit on my lower shelfs such as little people house and people, soft toys, dolls, kitchen food, large trucks / cars and tracks (either train or vtech the other gets set up on train table). Also a few baby toys. Then they get a couple bins of small toys as well I keep the rest higher and they trade back and forth. Puzzles, mega blocks, musical instruments, costumes, and most of the books are also keept higher up. I find to many small bins lower down they just dump everyhing out. I'm able to keep on top of evert hung I keep lower. If they make to many messes then I take some of the other toys out of the room for a bit.
Josiegirl 10:42 AM 02-15-2017
Obviously too darn many. 
The dcks that are 3 and up are good helpers. But the 2 1/2 yo twins dump, run, and never listen. I'll make them sit down and pick up before they can leave their messed up area.
The dcks that are 3 and up are good helpers. But the 2 1/2 yo twins dump, run, and never listen. I'll make them sit down and pick up before they can leave their messed up area.
BlueChairBlessings 10:53 AM 02-15-2017
I have a bin unit that holds different tubs of soft animals, trains, music instruments, tools, spy gear, play people and play kitchen stuff. We have a large play kitchen, a small-ish toybox with megablocks, and another large toybox with big dump trucks, Barbie cars, pirate ships, etc. Books, games, art supplies are all out of reach.
Meeko 12:38 PM 02-15-2017
I don't clean up toys. Responsibility is something the kids need to learn and it starts young.
You take it out. You put it away. Every. Single. Time.
My kids wipe down their tables after meals. They put the tables and chairs away afterwards. They help get blankets set up for nap time. As they get older, their responsibilities get more detailed.
You take it out. You put it away. Every. Single. Time.
My kids wipe down their tables after meals. They put the tables and chairs away afterwards. They help get blankets set up for nap time. As they get older, their responsibilities get more detailed.
racemom 12:48 PM 02-15-2017
I set up centers. Using 3x4 carpet piecesfor boundaries. I have 6 in my class, so we have 3 centers, two in each. Before each playtime, I set one type of toy on each, examples animals and barn in center one, dishes and babies in center 2, and legos in center 3. Then when everyone starts I set a 10 minute timer and when timer goes off, we pick up and switch to the next. Your partner goes with you, and that way I can control who they play with also.
Sumshine 02:32 PM 02-15-2017
I have so many toys! One time when I was gone for a weekend I came back to find my basement floor literally FULL of toys (thanks DH for managing DS lol!)
I do my best to keep organized. I LOVE my trofast unit from Ikea! I also use bins with snap lids for certain activities I dont want constabtly being dumped out and some things even stay in a closet unless I decide it's time for them! Everything starts at an infant level and moves it's way to prek stuff as the room progresses so everything has a place and I can keep kids with age appropriate activities. This prevents a mobile 9 month old from dumping all the toys and a 1 yo from eating legos
I keep everything against the walls and I allow 1 thing out at a time. All kiddos help pick up and they know something needs to go back before anything else comes out.
I've tried doing "stations" during free play but my kiddos that aren't infants are 1.5-3 yo so they don't mind playing with the same stuff and would just manage to mix the stations all up and end up together anyways so I stopped doing that and just make sure everyone is playing with age appropriate things. If a 3 yo wants to play Legos or something that's fine but at the table away from the others.
We really only free play in the AM and from 4:30pm til close. Everything in between is guided by me which I think helps hugely with dumping out toys and massive messes!
I do my best to keep organized. I LOVE my trofast unit from Ikea! I also use bins with snap lids for certain activities I dont want constabtly being dumped out and some things even stay in a closet unless I decide it's time for them! Everything starts at an infant level and moves it's way to prek stuff as the room progresses so everything has a place and I can keep kids with age appropriate activities. This prevents a mobile 9 month old from dumping all the toys and a 1 yo from eating legos
I keep everything against the walls and I allow 1 thing out at a time. All kiddos help pick up and they know something needs to go back before anything else comes out.
I've tried doing "stations" during free play but my kiddos that aren't infants are 1.5-3 yo so they don't mind playing with the same stuff and would just manage to mix the stations all up and end up together anyways so I stopped doing that and just make sure everyone is playing with age appropriate things. If a 3 yo wants to play Legos or something that's fine but at the table away from the others.
We really only free play in the AM and from 4:30pm til close. Everything in between is guided by me which I think helps hugely with dumping out toys and massive messes!
Unregistered 06:03 PM 02-15-2017
Twos will dump. It's a developmental stage. They like to carry around buckets of things, dump it out, fill it up. I have a couple ice cream buckets for this activity!
We clean up about 9:30. Everyone helps. I have a clean up song I put on. Rarely does it get out of control . If we don't go outside toys come out again sometimes at 10:30-11:30, sometimes at 11:00-11:30. Then we pick up again.
I'm a firm believer in at least an hour of free play at a time. Our first free play is 8:30-9:30 with art choice available. I don't dictate what kids play with.
I keep all toys well sorted. If I have lots of two's and under I have fewer toys out and/or toys with no pieces.
It might be hard to believe but it's never out of control messy here.
Kids play again with toys at 3:30-5:00 unless we are outside.
I have a math and small motor shelf they choose from while I make lunch.
We clean up about 9:30. Everyone helps. I have a clean up song I put on. Rarely does it get out of control . If we don't go outside toys come out again sometimes at 10:30-11:30, sometimes at 11:00-11:30. Then we pick up again.
I'm a firm believer in at least an hour of free play at a time. Our first free play is 8:30-9:30 with art choice available. I don't dictate what kids play with.
I keep all toys well sorted. If I have lots of two's and under I have fewer toys out and/or toys with no pieces.
It might be hard to believe but it's never out of control messy here.
Kids play again with toys at 3:30-5:00 unless we are outside.
I have a math and small motor shelf they choose from while I make lunch.
Blackcat31 06:23 PM 02-15-2017
Originally Posted by Meeko:
I don't clean up toys. Responsibility is something the kids need to learn and it starts young.
You take it out. You put it away. Every. Single. Time.
My kids wipe down their tables after meals. They put the tables and chairs away afterwards. They help get blankets set up for nap time. As they get older, their responsibilities get more detailed.
I don't clean up toys. Responsibility is something the kids need to learn and it starts young.
You take it out. You put it away. Every. Single. Time.
My kids wipe down their tables after meals. They put the tables and chairs away afterwards. They help get blankets set up for nap time. As they get older, their responsibilities get more detailed.
pretty much the same thing here.
ColorfulSunburst 06:27 PM 02-15-2017
12 kids (15mo-4.5y.o)
All toys are available during every day.
There is just a couple limits: no floor puzzles before breakfast (7am-9am) and if the infants are present, the oldest kids can not play with marbles. That's it.
There is one MAIN rule: before taking the next toy a kid MUST clean up the previous one.
I do not clean up. Kids do. Doesn't depend on age.
All toys are available during every day.
There is just a couple limits: no floor puzzles before breakfast (7am-9am) and if the infants are present, the oldest kids can not play with marbles. That's it.
There is one MAIN rule: before taking the next toy a kid MUST clean up the previous one.
I do not clean up. Kids do. Doesn't depend on age.
DaveA 03:56 AM 02-16-2017
My toys are on 2 shelves: 30"x 5' & 6". Aside from a few "always outs" (blocks, cars) 1/3 of the stuff gets rotated out each weekend for stuff stored downstairs. Everything's in baskets on the shelves. One things I do is keep a couple of empty baskets on the shelves. Turns some of the "dumping" into "sorting".
AmyKidsCo 04:01 PM 02-16-2017
All of my toys are out all the time. We clean up before breakfast and before snack. Right now I'm trying to downsize because there's just tooooooo much out. Licensing requires 3 choices per child so I only need a maximum of 24 things out. I doubt I'll go that low but I'm going to try!
Unregistered 03:34 AM 02-18-2017
Originally Posted by ColorfulSunburst:
12 kids (15mo-4.5y.o)
All toys are available during every day.
There is just a couple limits: no floor puzzles before breakfast (7am-9am) and if the infants are present, the oldest kids can not play with marbles. That's it.
There is one MAIN rule: before taking the next toy a kid MUST clean up the previous one.
I do not clean up. Kids do. Doesn't depend on age.
12 kids (15mo-4.5y.o)
All toys are available during every day.
There is just a couple limits: no floor puzzles before breakfast (7am-9am) and if the infants are present, the oldest kids can not play with marbles. That's it.
There is one MAIN rule: before taking the next toy a kid MUST clean up the previous one.
I do not clean up. Kids do. Doesn't depend on age.
I've always wondered about this.....what if a few kids are playing with a large variety of toys, say they have an elaborate tea party set up and then one or two want to leave but one stays or building with blocks and they have lots of blocks out and one child is left cleaning it up as the others have drifted off ( would be odd to make kids clean up just because some are done).
Do you just make that last child put it all away?
CeriBear 05:22 AM 02-18-2017
I don't have a set number for toys being out but I do have the rule that if a kid stops playing with one toy he/she must clean up before getting out something else.