When I am cleaning the house, putting away the laundry, or organizing coupons, my girls are at my feet asking begging to help.

Though I can get the job done much quicker without their help, I try to find something they can do. Encouraging them to help by giving them age-appropriate activities, teaches them to contribute to the maintaining of our household.

Please know that I struggle with allowing my children to help. In using time wisely, I have a set agenda that I am attempting to complete in a specified time frame.

Distracted by little ones, creating more of a mess in their effort to help, is not efficient or productive. However, I am learning that taking the time now to teach my little ones will pay off in the future when they will not need my help.

Instead of getting frustrated with them, I am learning to spend more time with them to teach them how to complete the project. The more we fold laundry, pickup their room, and sort coupons, the more they can practice what they have learned. I can then guide them, correct them, and encourage them to the end.

Not too long ago, I was cleaning the kids’ room, and my daughters came to help. While I worked on making the beds, the girls picked up the toys and placed them in one of the following containers:

1. Blue fabric bin: Child #1’s toys

2. Green fabric bin: Child #2’s toys

3. Brown fabric bin: Books

4. Beige fabric bin: General toys

5. Cardboard box: Items that do not belong in their room

If my girls were unsure of where the item belonged, I taught them to put the item aside. When I reached a stopping place, I came over to help with the sorting.

My girls enjoyed working with Mommy. Though they did not work for a reward, I enjoyed sharing a special treat with them.

As you continuing using time wisely, remember you do not have to do it alone. Your time is valuable, enlist the help of family members and work with them.

As you train them, you might find some enthusiastic helpers willing to get the job done. If not, then try a reward program, competition, or special treat to encourage them along the way. Happy organizing!

Question: How do your children help with household maintenance? Please add your answer to the comments.

With three children, who are two years apart and both genders, our house has a range of toys. Without an organizational system, we would live among the toys. 😉

In working through each room of my house clearing out clutter, cleaning, and organizing, I decided to try creating a Little People play station for my girls.

Though my son has out-grown most of the Little People items, he does enjoy playing with the toddler. However, my girls will be playing more at this station than my son.

Determining the Functions of the Play Station

Since this space is mostly for my girls, I needed the play station to meet the following criteria:

1. Low enough for the toddler to reach.

2. Large enough to hold the 8-10 Little People play units.

3. Wide enough for both girls to play at the same time.

4. Room enough to move around the station without blocking traffic.

5. Small enough to fit in our living room with the rest of the toys.

Keeping within my limited budget, I surveyed our current options and found that our circular coffee table (which has never been used as a coffee table since my children overtake most of the furniture in the house) fit all these standards. With a $6 fabric bin to hold all the accessories, this play station exceeded my expectations.

Evaluating the Workability of the Play Station

1. My toddler loves to help clean up all the accessories since she can put the people in the box.

2. The lower level of the table holds other play units when the girls are ready for a change.

3. Both girls can play – one on each side of a play unit without getting in each other’s way.

4. The girls love playing with multiple play units at one time.

5. The circular coffee table solution continues to offer hours of fun without overtaking the space with toys.

This play station for Little People works for us. The one container for all the accessories transformed the Little People population in our living room. With one place for all the items, cleanup is easy and often done without asking. Love that!

As you continue finding organizational solutions for your household, consider creating a play station. This same system might work for legos, Star Wars, or dolls. With a simple construction play station, your children might surprise you with a picked-up area. 🙂 Happy organizing!

Question: What types of toys invade your space? Please add your answer to the comments.