I am Frustrated

[mrsp'slilpeeps]

I feel like everything that I have provided for these kids in my dayhome, has been abused and un-appreciated.

I have many options for toys: mega blocks, trains, dinky cars, play mobil, little tykes kitchens, pretend make up and dress up tables, little people villiage's, tools and a tool table, a giant doll house with the dolls, a box full of baby toys, books, the list goes on.

I also have a craft room to do painting, play doh, coloring, ect.

I have a ton of little tyke outdoor toys, bikes, scooters, wagons, and a trampoline.
My trampoline is a year old and the netting is already getting ripped.

My rules are that if you want to play with all of these toys you have to open one box at a time. When you want to play with another box of toys, you have to clean up the other one first.

Everything gets laid down and jumped on, thrown all over the place, and i get stuck cleaning it up, the felts, crayons, play doh, everything has been taken away.

I have had to ban my own children from the dayhome after hours cause they make a worse mess than the DCK's.

I am at my wits end and I feel like taking everything away and they can sit on the floor and count carpet fibers for all i care.

Do any of you feel the same sometimes?

[countrymom]

I think the problem is that kids do it because they know someone is going to clean it up for them. Hence today, dcb he's 3, threw all the beans in my toy house (the little tykes outdoor ones, but I have it in my house) not only that, he threw them all over the room. He knows that the beans stay on the train table and are not to be thrown around, so he went to time out while I cleaned it up. Then after the time out, he threw the books on the floor (he got no breakfast because we spent the time cleaning them up) and back to the corner he went, then he dumped the crayons on the floor, why he did this, I have not idea. Oh yes I do, it comes from home, he does whatever he wants and no one does anything, except they threaten him with empty promises, its ridicioulous.

[themoorethemerrier]

Since the day my first daughter became mobile! Oh, I feel for you!

Though I'm sure one day I'll be glad of her curiosity and semi-destructive acts of play (wanting to see what is inside that electronic toy...), I had to implement a toy closet with lock. Nearly every toy is in the closet and has it's own basket for easier clean up.

For my insanity and younger children's safety, we get out certain toys at certain times. If the older kids want toys with the impossibly small pieces, they can only get them out when the younger ones are either preoccupied with their own "special toys" or sleeping during nap time.

The kiddos are allowed to get out 2 different toys at a time and only after I unlock the closet and assist them. Nothing else comes out until it is all picked up and put in the correct place.

IMO there is such thing as too many toys and the sheer amount can be overwhelming enough for them to go from missionlay to mission:destroy.

It seems very regime-ish, but I have noticed in my own children it helps teach appreciation, responsibility and ability to follow directions to a T. As for the daycare kids, I can't control how they treat toys at their own home, but they know and (for the most part) respect the rules.

Even if this doesn't help at all, I understand and definitely have felt like this. Hope you're able to resolve it!

[WImom]

One thing I did recently that is working here is I got rid of alot of toys. I think it was overwhelming for them, especially in the house area with all the dress up and food.

We only watch tv once a day for 30m while I make lunch and they all know if they don't do there share at clean up that they lose that tv time for today and I give them some books at my kitchen table to look at.

I almost never have to follow through with that though since I just mention it and they will start cleaning.

[morgan24]

I felt the same way with the new group that I have. They just dumped toys out and moved on and then they refused to pick up. A couple of them would even throw fits because they didn't want to pick up. So I removed over half of the toys and books. You should of seen their faces the first day they came and seen that they only had 1 kind of blocks, the little people house and barn and I left the kitchen. I told them when they can play with what is left the right way and pick up when told......maybe I'll add some more toys. Last week they did a lot better picking up and treating the toys better.

[Heidi]

When new group started (12 mo twins first, then a month later, 3 & 4 yo from same family), I was so excited to set up my environment and make it so fun! Ha! First week, the oldest two refused to help clean up a thing. So, when they came back on Monday, I had pared it down to about 1/4 of the toys.

I have since reintroduced a number of things, but I also bought a bunch of clear bins. They are out of reach, but easy to identify. If someone wants the contents (May I use the Mr. Potato Heads, please?), I say "sure, as soon as you clean up the *** you were playing with). The room doesn't have to be perfectly clean, just reasonable. Holding some things hostage gives me some negotiating power . :-)

[Christian Mother]

When new group started (12 mo twins first, then a month later, 3 & 4 yo from same family), I was so excited to set up my environment and make it so fun! Ha! First week, the oldest two refused to help clean up a thing. So, when they came back on Monday, I had pared it down to about 1/4 of the toys.

I have since reintroduced a number of things, but I also bought a bunch of clear bins. They are out of reach, but easy to identify. If someone wants the contents (May I use the Mr. Potato Heads, please?), I say "sure, as soon as you clean up the *** you were playing with). The room doesn't have to be perfectly clean, just reasonable. Holding some things hostage gives me some negotiating power . :-)

Love this...!! It's what I do too...although mine are a little bit younger...I hold things hostage or the fun things like art and painting get to wait longer...the kids love painting so when that's mentioned or going out side you can bet the kids are stepping it up a notch!!

[sharlan]

You must have been at my house this morning.

I set out 9 brand new puzzles this morning. The boys got to play with them while I was cleaning up "school". I walked in to find all 9 puzzles dumped on the table and floor. I made them help me clean up the 4 easiest ones, then they had to sit on the sofa while I put the remaining 5 together. Those 5 are put up and they won't be seeing them for quite awhile.

I should have only set out 4 to begin with.

[MommyMuffin]

I'm having issues with clean up as well. I have to walk them through it..every step. I am losing my voice. "X pick up the food, put in food bin." ... "repeat..repeat... ugh

I am going to scale down the toys when I get finished with the basement.

[Angelwings36]

I feel like everything that I have provided for these kids in my dayhome, has been abused and un-appreciated.

I have many options for toys: mega blocks, trains, dinky cars, play mobil, little tykes kitchens, pretend make up and dress up tables, little people villiage's, tools and a tool table, a giant doll house with the dolls, a box full of baby toys, books, the list goes on.

I also have a craft room to do painting, play doh, coloring, ect.

I have a ton of little tyke outdoor toys, bikes, scooters, wagons, and a trampoline.
My trampoline is a year old and the netting is already getting ripped.

My rules are that if you want to play with all of these toys you have to open one box at a time. When you want to play with another box of toys, you have to clean up the other one first.

Everything gets laid down and jumped on, thrown all over the place, and i get stuck cleaning it up, the felts, crayons, play doh, everything has been taken away.

I have had to ban my own children from the dayhome after hours cause they make a worse mess than the DCK's.

I am at my wits end and I feel like taking everything away and they can sit on the floor and count carpet fibers for all i care.

Do any of you feel the same sometimes?

My son is extremely destructive (6 year old boy), he is not allowed to play with the daycare toys after hours, or on weekends. He is also not allowed in the craft room without my supervision. He has his own toys in his room he can break

[nannyde]

These are my toy rules. https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/ther...th-any-toy.htm

[Hunni Bee]

Oh no. I may need help in a lot of areas, but in the four years I've been doing this, I have always insisted that my dck's clean up and take care of the toys. My thing is you don't clean, you don't treat the toys nice, you don't play. And I will defend that policy to any parent or person who sees a problem with it.

Some people just let the room get dirty and then they do a big clean-up at the end, or even just let the kids do whatever and then the provider cleans up at nap or at the end of the day. Nope. We totally clean up from morning play before we go outside. If we only get 15 minutes of outside time because we dragged on cleaning up, then I guess we'll do better tomorrow. We clean up from lunch before we go to nap, and we clean up from afternoon play before we shut the room down for the day. You throw, step on, sit on, intentionally break or attempt to break any toy, book or material, you don't use.

When I have a kid that is either new and doesn't know how to play (or my rules), or is being destructive, I shadow them. Make them play with me. But since this is your whole group, I would totally put about 3/4 of the stuff away, and leave out maybe one or two things from each category. And "teach" them how to play with it and put it away correctly when they were done. Slowly add back stuff as they master it. If they go back to being messy and destructive, put it back.

[mrsp'slilpeeps]

Well I did a major clean and organize last night!

They have the cars and car mat, Little people, Kitchen and some play food (not all of it) and 2 puzzles.

My furnace room is packed with toy box's that will be rotated.

The crafts, crayons ect are gone as well!

Thanks for the advice ladies!

[AnythingsPossible]

Glad you got things under control for your group. Sadly, I have taken a very bad attitude towards clean up this week and I have flat given up. Knowing that I am moving daycare space this weekend, I have not had it in me to fight them. The way I have toys organized right now creates a perfect environment for the dumping behavior.
This will all change when we get moved downstairs! For now, I am ignoring the mess throughout the morning and we clean before lunch and late afternoon. I can not wait to reorganize things. I have such a young group and right now I feel truly defeated. Hoping things turn around with the move.