Tom, Jack, & Leo's Playroom
Once upon a time, when I first encountered Tom, Jack & Leo’s playroom, I couldn’t even see the cute solar system rug because the floor was covered with cars, action figures, Lego pieces, and other assorted toys. The boys’ mom confided in me: “The boys have so many toys! Their grandparents are always buying them presents, and I try to tell them they don’t need any more toys, but the gifts just keep on coming.”
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First we sorted all the toys into different categories and put “like with like” (ex. stuffed animals, puzzles, Legos, Duplo, dress-up).
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Then we took a tour of all the toys and decided what toys should stay in the room and what could be:
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Donated
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Trashed (missing pieces, not working)
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Moved to the basement
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Finally, we re-organized the toys by category and labeled each box and bin.
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Behold! The room looked amazing, inviting, and organized.
Trying to get a playroom in control with 3 boys ages 6 and under is no easy task. Here are some actions and strategies that helped them navigate from the “before” to the “after” photo:
The toys were now neatly organized, but in order to maintain the room, this family needed a system. Here is what we came up with:
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The boys still had too many toys for the playroom. We created a 2-tier system where an overflow of toys can be rotated between the basement and the playroom.
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Together, Mom and Dad created a set of rules and posted it on the playroom wall with photos:
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Play with one toy at a time
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Toys get put away before the next activity
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Legos or other projects “in progress” get moved to a certain area
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The parents delivered specific consequences such as moving more toys to the basement if the boys could not handle putting away the toys in the playroom.
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And, finally, the parents instituted a rewards system for a clean playroom.
... And they lived happily ever after!