Kids become overstimulated by too many visible toys.
It's our goal as parents to help our children become responsible and independent. If we constantly pick up after our kids, we enable them to be messy and irresponsible and we overwork ourselves. If we design their personal bedroom or play space using simple, age-appropriate furniture and accessories, we can help them devise a clean-up routine that they can accomplish independently. With a little planning, we can teach our kids to be responsible young girls and boys and give them a sense of accomplishment. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. For a small child, everything seems very big.
Crouch down low and look around your child's bedroom or playroom from his or her perspective. Does everything loom large, like dressers, shelves and closet rods? Is there enough floor space to really play or are toys lining the perimeter and crowding your child out? Ask yourself if you feel crowded, overwhelmed or distracted in the room. If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, then it's time to think like a child and reorganize that room with a new, "little person" perspective.
2. This is about the right size.
Now you can start moving things. If your child cannot reach their closet hanging rod, move it down. Children as young as two years-old can start dressing themselves or hanging things up. Install a shelf right above the hanging rod and pile their stuffed animals on top of it. If they want to take an animal down they won't be harmed if the others fall on them. Remove all tall furniture and replace it with low shelves that they can reach, low dressers that they can open and low chairs or tables they can sit in. Now they can put away their clothes and toys themselves.
3. Wall hooks do not require much dexterity and are perfect for kids.
You need storage that makes sense to your child. Buy some wall hooks and hang them at your child's eye level. They can hang purses, hats or backpacks on these. Toy hammocks make good use of corner space. Install them low enough so that your child can put dolls or plush toys inside. Buy a large bin or trunk for dress-up clothes. You'll need lots of bins or baskets to put on the shelves, too, for those pesky small pieces. Paper or plastic lidded bins are perfect for under-the-bed storage of crafts and other toys.
4. Hanging tags are perfect for labels on baskets.
Label everything. This is a great teaching exercise. If your child can't read, then draw a picture of the toy to be stored in the bin and write the name over it. If you're using a basket then tie the label on. Put labels over the wall hooks, on the bins under the bed and on dresser drawers to help your child remember that everything has a place.
Tags: your child, that they, wall hooks
