HEEEEEY...I Was Playing With That...

[rmc20021]

If I hear that one more time today, I'm going to scream. I've been working with these kids (one in particular) who every time he sees someone playing with something that he had 20 minutes ago he starts whining that he was playing with it first.

I've also been working hard at teaching them to put toys away they are no longer playing with and that has been a constant reminder along the way since getting a new dcg last week, so today a new rule is if they leave something out and someone else starts playing with it, then it's their loss since it should have been put away to begin with.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I have them say, "Please let me know when you're done!" Even the newly turned 3's get this and will go hand it to that child when they are done playing with something. It also seems to satisfy the child wanting the toy, usually.

Toys on the floor drives me bonkers.

[rmc20021]

I know...I do redirect the kids to always ask if someone is done with something before they just start playing with something that's already out. They do a fairly good job of putting away what they're playing with before they get something else out...but like today, the boy was playing with his 'house' and left it to go visit someone else's 'house' for an extended time...it was left unattended so as far as I'm concerned, and the other kids as well, nobody was playing with it and it was free for someone else's use.

I don't mind a few toys out, but very limited. I tell them they can only have one type of item out at a time, but sometimes they forget and I have a new girl this week so I'm constantly reminding her.