Which Works Better For You?

[cheerfuldom]

Do you have a large open space in your toy room or do you divide up the room into smaller areas?

[KDC]

Divided...

I recently divided it. I have a side for dramatic play, and a side for puzzles, games & reading. It's much better keeping the puzzles & quiet reading book area away from the rowdy kitchen, dolls and racing cars. The kids really seem to like it better too. Great for clean-up time and my sanity (rarely hear, so-n-so just stepped on my puzzle!)

[melskids]

I have seperate areas. I think it helps with cleanup, keeping them focused on what they are working on, turn taking, and cuts down on the chaos. The kids also like to be closed in (like in the block area) so the babies dont mess up what they are doing.

I am pretty flxible though...they like to take the babies to the book area, cook with "blocks" as food, that sort of thing. Everything has its place, so clean up is easier.

I don;t mind pushing things up against the wall either, when we do need some more open space for certain activities.

[littlemissmuffet]

Large open space. I find my kids play better in the wide open. Personally I think dividing a room up makes it look cluttered and too busy and then the children can't focus.

[daycare]

Large open space. I find my kids play better in the wide open. Personally I think dividing a room up makes it look cluttered and too busy and then the children can't focus.

ditto on this

[Blackcat31]

I have seperate areas. I think it helps with cleanup, keeping them focused on what they are working on, turn taking, and cuts down on the chaos. The kids also like to be closed in (like in the block area) so the babies dont mess up what they are doing.

I am pretty flxible though...they like to take the babies to the book area, cook with "blocks" as food, that sort of thing. Everything has its place, so clean up is easier.

I don;t mind pushing things up against the wall either, when we do need some more open space for certain activities.

I feel the same way, however, I don't divide up one big room but have separate rooms all together. One for infants/toddlers and one for preschoolers.

Another is a common area and everyone is allowed in that space. So for me it is much easier to split things up into developmentally appropriate areas then to let them just all play together all day.

We do many activities during the day that require everyone to be in the same room and plenty of other activities that require separation based on skills and levels of development.

[JenNJ]

One large open space. I just put the train table in the middle to discourage the straight run through the room.