Organizing hints

Give your kids each a “bin”. Make it their own and put their name on it. We use plastic open topped bins. I tell my kids, “This is your bin, and only yours. No one can take anything out of here to play with or look at unless they ask.” Their bins also have permanent homes in the laundry room. That way, the bin does not disappear. In a crowded house, it gives them each a little area that is all their own. “Mom, I made this and I don’t want the boys to get it,” Sarah says of her pipe cleaner creation. “Put it in your bin.” It also gives me a place to put the Sunday school papers they want to keep. It’s a great place to keep little toys. I know what you are thinking, what happens when the bin is full?

Another rule we have at our house is: “If you don’t know what to do, ask.” Then I can make suggestions for their free time. “Mom, I need three options.” 1. Look at library books. 2. Get out the puzzles. 3. Clean your bin. Many time they discover a forgotten treasure, “Hey, mom, I found that bouncy ball I got at church.”, or they make trades. “I don’t want these dinosaur cards anymore, Sarah, would you like them?”

I like the bins. It gives them a responsibility to keep it neat. It gives them a way to sort out their things. It provides them an opportunity to be generous. Tim and Sarah often end up with a large “give-away” pile after sorting through their bins.

Here’s what is currently in Marc (three year old)’s bin:
Small journal time blank book with some coloring in it.
A plastic baggie full of small plastic snakes.
A plastic baggie with 12 animal dominoes in it.
A play penguin with surfboard and wind-up wave from a happy meal.
19 playing cards.
One very loved plastic purse with a ring in it.
A Sunday school paper about Noah’s ark.
A small soldier sticker book.

Sometimes when the boys are at a loss about what to do, I ask them, “Do you want to play with your bins?” and they are very happy. It also gives them a way to practice clean up. It also keeps all those teeny tiny toys from disappearing in their room. So if you’re tripping over toys, why not try the bin?