Williston graphic., 1919-02-06
Training Little Children
BY Mrs. Isabel s. Wallace

How many things can be made by
folding ordinary wrapping paper!
Soldier caps for small boys keep
them amused long time. A house
and furniture with few cut-out dol
lies make such busy little girls. A.
ter all it is the simplest things that
make children happiest.
When at my mothers home one
time my little girl folded and cut
house, windows, doors and all. Her
grandmother was delighted and the
little one said, "We'll keep it to show
grandpa and l guess he'll say I am
a smart Tottie." With little thot
mothers can learn how to fold and
teach their children to fold number
of things. It is excellent practice in
accuracy and neatness, besides af-
fording the joy Of making something.
In regular kindergarten all the
sets of blocks, which are of different
sizes, are kept in boxes with covers,
and each child puts his away careful
ly and correctly or else the cover will
not fit. Then all the sets are COL
lected and packed in a closet by few
of the children. Children love to
help keep things in order and enjoy
doing it. ...
At home also, child should have
a place for his toys. A playroom is
ideal, but If this cannot be provided,
some place surely can be found, even
in a small fiat, which a child may
have for his very own to keep his
toys in. From the age of sixteen
months, insisted that my little girl
put her toys away neatly. We began
it as play; and now it is habit. Of
course, sometimes she is in very
much of a hurry to do something
else, but the toys are put away in
the end. We made her large dry
goods box, standing up on end. My
husband put cheap castors on it and
two shelves across it. There all the
small toys are kept. The blocks have
their own boxes; the small things
have baskets; and crayons, pictures
and papers 60 into box with a
cover. All of them fit into the shelv-
es; also the animals, dolls trunks,
washtubs and many other such things.
The picture books have compart-
ment in the large bookcase. "A
place for everything and everything
in it's place." when little folks have
finished playing, makes good rule.
One day when my child was not at
home, little girl came in for visit.
l took her into the playroom and left
her there very happy. After short
time she went home. When I re-
turned to the playroom l found every
thing so scattered over the floor that
there was hardly room to walk. The
next time the little girl came, had
talk with her. l have made it
rule, and it is a hard rule to keep,
for 'some mothers are offended, that
if child will not help put away the
toys carefully when he is ready to 60
home, then he cannot come back to
play with that toy again until he is
ready to do what l ask. My little
girl was playing at neighbor's a
few days later. When it was time to
come home I went for her. The chill
dren were cutting out pictures and
had made a dreadful mess on the
table, chairs and floor. I told my
little girl to help pick them up be-
fore putting on her things. The
mother said, "Oh, that's all right,
Sadie never picks up scraps; I do
that. So don't make your little girl
do it," And my child smiled and
calmly said, "1t's all right, Mother,
l don't have to pick up here" Then
l told the mother about my rule and
explained that it wasn't mere cranki-
ness on my part, but desire to form
good habits in the children and to
develop character.
All children are naughty at times
and it is so hard to know how to
deal justly with them. One day when