Dumping and Hoarding

[Hunni Bee]

I'm sure this is developmentally appropriate.... But it irks me! My new kiddos..especially the girls and especially in Dramatic Play, like to dump the contents of all the baskets into bags (or onto the tables/floor) and just hold them. They aren't actually playing with the stuff, just hoarding, and its he!! come clean up time.

I am going to reduce the amount of stuff in the baskets and do some play "coaching".

Do this bother anyone else?

[nannyde]

No dumping. No hoarding.

Doesn't matter if it is developmentally appropriate. If it is then can get their dump and hoard on at home.

Dumping is just the most excitement for the least amount of work and hoarding paralyzes play.

[Josiegirl]

It truly bugs me but I keep letting it happen.
At the moment I have 2 dcgs that love to cram as many dolls/doll clothes, books and stuffed animals into their arms and just walk around with them. It annoys me when I tell them it's time to do something and they're all loaded own; then listening to them scream and holler like I'm tearing their best friends out of their arms so they can eat lunch or go outside.
And I have a couple that dump stuff on the floor then walk away. I'm constantly bringing them back, asking them if they're going to play with them or want me to help them pick it up.
Takes so much time out of an already chaotic day. Then add the stress of them being all abused and tormented by me for making them pick up their toys.

[Josiegirl]

No dumping. No hoarding.

Doesn't matter if it is developmentally appropriate. If it is then can get their dump and hoard on at home.

Dumping is just the most excitement for the least amount of work and hoarding paralyzes play.

Exactly! They don't play with any of it, just move it around from place to place, making sure nobody else even dares to think of touching it!
I definitely need to rethink the way I've got my toys set up.
Very seldom do they bother to sit down and focus on anything and when I offer them different activities, they do it for 5 minutes then are off again. Drives me bonkers!
Course the ones who weren't dumpers/hoarders have now been swayed by the others who do. I'm glad you brought this topic up because the problem has increased since the SA went back to school. I need to get them back on track so they'll help keep our day running smoother again. The chaos created and extra energy it takes makes for a very long exhausting day.

[daycare]

dont allow them to do it. I have on that tries, but we caught her at the start of it and cut her off.

hoarding = not playing. we want to promote play.

sounds like this kid likes to be busy, give them busy work to do. this is what i do with my dcg. I keep her very very busy.

dumping is what's fun to do, but it's not playing. I would take a day and observe observe observe.

we also have a one toy out a time rule. If you want to play with the little people house lets do it, and the people cool, but thats it. You can't take the dolls in there and the blocks and the firemen and so on and so on.

this is what i do and I see that I have several kids that just have NO clue how to play. they just dump and mess the room. I follow them, make them clean it and give lots of high-fives.

I engage them in play with older children, and really talk with them while they are playing. I affirm what they are doing.

My hoarder is the master of it at her home. We did a project called about me and the dcf disclosed that on her project. they said she does it with everything she can get her hands on. Including daddies car keys, so they had to have another set made....

[hsdcmama]

I don't allow my dcks to hoard toys at all. My rule is, once you put a toy down, someone else can pick it up unless you need to use the bathroom or something. They still try, and every day I have to referee the toy-hoarding, but no matter what I still don't allow it and they all know it. I don't do dumping either. If a kid dumps a bin out and walks away, I go get them and make them put it all back (I don't help them either -- I tell them I didn't make the mess, so I'm not cleaning it up). If they dump and play, then they still have to clean the pile up when they are done with it. I am really big on teaching the kids individual responsibility. It can be exhausting, but in the end it makes things easier bc eventually they get it and I don't have to keep reminding them.

[Miss A]

Dumping and Hording are a daily occurrence here! I am to the point where I am cutting down on the toys available throughout the day, as they do not play with them, but instead dump all toys and then fight over one. And clean-up is He!!. No one wants to help, and it takes at least 15 minutes to do anything, from going outside to eating lunch, because it is a battle to clean up.

[laundrymom]

When toys become a problem here I rotate those toys out and bring new ones in. Seems to help. I don't mind when they stuff bags and purses though. It's not an issue for argument here. Most of them do it and Theres enough that everyone has something. Or a bag of something's, to keep them happy.

[Mom o Col]

Must be an age thing...I first noticed it when my son was little and I cared for other kids his age. They would do what I called the "dump n run": dump out the toy bins and not even play with the toys. Drove me crazy and still does. The kids I care for also love to dump toys into the toy shopping cart and just walk around with the stuff. I don't get it. I love NannyDe's thoughts on this.

[Hunni Bee]

I reduced some of the stuff, and I've been hovering so I can immediately correct if they start. I've also give them the rules that, we only take out what we can hold and leave the rest in the bin, and we play with toys with our hands-not in bags. I give frequent reminders

They've been doing a lot better and we don't need to deploy the National Guard to get it cleaned up.

I've got older 3s and young 4s btw.