Kids’ playroom is organized in a way where they can easily see and reach their toys and materials. Everything has a place. I rotate some of them in order to reduce disinterest due to ADD and stimulation overload.
I decided to create a toy, game and activity Rolodex as a reference guide for them as well as myself, to refer to, when we scratch our heads, thinking what to do next. The rolodex serves the purpose of a phone book. Kids know where everything is located. They look-up to see what they can keep themselves busy with. If they decide to do a craft with scissors or glues, which are not readily accessible without adult supervision, they could ask those from me.
First I copied and pasted the photos of all the toys we have (some from websites, some from my photos) and activities (from my own photos) and placed them on a word document, 6 item on each page. I wrote the names of toys or games as captions. I printed them out on cardstock papers and laminated them. I cut them out individually and punched a single hole on each one. I found a big key chain ring and put it through the holes in the cards. Finally, I put an old teddy bear we had on the key ring, for accent.
Toy, games and activities Rolodex is toddler friendly, i.e. has pictures and is laminated. The cards are grouped by category, such as cars, dolls, construction, arts, music, experiments etc.
Now, I refer them to the Rolodex whenever they seem to be looking for something different. They pick whatever they want. If they need my help for materials or setup, I set the stage. If not they keep entertaining themselves.
Do you use a similar tools for you kids or yourself?
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