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Give them a call and see if they could use your donation! You can use this link to find local domestic violence resources. The mother and child are given a safe place to regroup and a secure location if anyone is looking for them.
Local Safe Houses - Local safe houses are places where women and children can seek anonymous help for domestic violence. They also have an online application for families needing children's toys. They collect gifts year-round to donate to children in their community. Toys for Tots - Toys for Tots is a kid-focused charity run by the U.S. Again, they will sell these items for a discount in their local thrift stores. Salvation Army - The Salvation Army is another nationally known charity that will take toys as a donation. However, if you want to move stuff quickly, they are an easy choice. While they are easily findable, and you can get a receipt for your donation, they make an extreme profit from your donations. Goodwill - Goodwill is a nationally recognized charity that will take items and sell them at its stores for a discounted price. Here are some of the bigger options available in more regions: I recommend asking around in a local social media group to see if there are any smaller charities in your area that you would like to help. Charity - Many charity options are available these days to donate used toys in good condition. 90% of our toys go to my cousin since she has littler kids than mine. Family - Consider donating to friends and family whose kids are younger than yours. This makes it easy for the child to locate everything they need to work on an activity and appeals to their sense of order. All the pieces of each material or toy is grouped together using baskets and trays. This set up is simple, clean, and organized, unlike a big toy bin that can make it hard for a child to choose items and find what they're looking for.Ģ. This allows the child to freely take any items they're interested in, as well as put them back when they're done. Placing all materials and toys on a Montessori Shelf (or other low shelf) at a height that is accessible to the child. You can set up your playroom the same way without creating an exact replica of a Montessori classroom.ġ. Try simplifying some of the toys and see if they begin interacting with it.Ī Montessori classroom is designed for independence and aligns with a young child's need for order. Sometimes toys have too many pieces, parts, or functions and it overwhelms the child. One of the amazing things about young children is that they change so much, even in just a month.Ī toy that holds little interest right now, might be just what they need in a few months.Īnother way to pique a child's interest in a new toy is to simplify it. It might not meet their current developmental needs and interests. If your child is not showing any interest in some of their new toys right now, put them away for awhile. Note Your Child's Interests and Abilities If there were some toys that your child was still enjoying before the holidays, leave those out as long as there's still interest, alongside a few new items.ģ. To a small child, it can be confusing and stressful to completely overhaul their playroom overnight. To an adult, it might seem like so much fun to get a bunch of new toys.
If you do rotate and limit the number of toys available in your play space, don't remove all the old ones at once and replace them with all new toys.
DECLUTTER TOYS HOW TO
It keeps the environment fresh and interesting, without overwhelming the children.įor more info about how to rotate your toys and materials at home, check out this post: Why Toy Rotation is the Key To a Beautiful Playroom (and Your Sanity!) That's why Montessori classrooms rotate the materials every few weeks. Montessori found that young children become overwhelmed with too many options. Many children get 10+ new toys around the holidays and it's just too overwhelming to have them all out at once, alongside all the old toys.Ĭhoose just a couple new items that your child is showing the most interest in and then put the rest away for now.
Here's 4 quick ways you can declutter in a way that encourages focused, independent play: You're overwhelmed, your child is overwhelmed, and even with all these new toys, you're not seeing much independent play. Open Boxes, Demos, and Imperfect ProductsĪfter a whirlwind week with lots of gifting, you might find your play space overflowing with new toys.