WFMW: Lost Toy Basket

Here's my first attempt at doing a Works For Me Wednesday post:

Having five kids means having a lot of toys and kid "stuff" in the house. Neither of which I mind. The one thing I do mind is having the living room full of toys and stuff.

So I came up with a rule to help keep the living room clutter free and to help the kids remember to put their stuff away when they are done with it. The rule is: You may play with your toys in the living room as long as you put it away (i.e. back in your room!) when your done with it, otherwise if you forget and I have to pick it up, it gets put in my "Lost Toy Basket". The LTB is a mesh basket that I keep in my laundry room. Anything that gets put in there has to stay in there until the 1st day of the month. Then I empty it out and give them their stuff back and we start all over.

The first few months the basket was over-flowing by the end of the month but now they all have gotten the idea. Even my 3-year old is getting better about picking up his toys when he's done with them.

It works for me!

For more WFMW ideas, head on over the Rock's in my Dryer!