The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-06-29
TOYS ARE
EQUIPMENT
GEORGIA LOTT SETTER

"Please excuse me while tidy this
room a bit, Aunt Jane" apologized
young Mrs. Frazier Zone must ex-
pect clutter where there are children,
suppose, and it is easier to pick up
things myself than to get them to do
1t. Perhaps | did not begin right for
find it very hard to make the chill
dren care for their own things"
ga mother who spends hours each
day picking up and putting away the
scattered possessions of her family is
doing herself and her children an in
justice; did you ever think of that ?"
answered Aunt Jane gently.
"An injustice!" cried Mrs. Frazier.
"You make it sound like a calamity,
when, after all, it is nothing but an
annoyance that every mother must
expect to endure for a season."
"Toys are the tools with which
child works." answered Aunt Jane.
"When playtime is over toys have no
more place on the living room floor
than has your mixing bowl or electric
fatiron."
81 suppose that is right" agreed
her niece, thoughtfully. What do you
suggest tha; l do?"
First, remember that what you
really are endeavoring to do is to es-
tablish habits Of neatness-habits that
will be important to your children all
their lives. Try to picture your boy,
Tom, at his first real job. If he is neat,
if he takes good care Of the equipment
entrusted to him, if he shows sense
of responsibility and promptness, he
has taken big step toward success.
And he is developing a lifelong be-
havior pattern when he forms the
habit of taking good care of his play
things in early childhood"
"But," demonstrated the mother, "no
matter how important this habit may
be, wouldn't it take all a mothers
time and cause endless pickering to
bring about such order in the home ?"
mo. Be prepared to remind a little
child many times that toys must be
put away neatly. Do this without
showing irritation, and explain that
this keeps the toys in good condition
and keeps the living room attractive.
Restrict the number of toys in use by
keeping some of them on high shelf;
and make frequent changes And don't
expect an exhausted child to put
away days accumulation of toys,
but have several clean-ups during the
day. Be sure that instead of dreading
or disliking this activity, he learns to
enjoy it. Make a game of which it is
"a part. Everything may be loaded
onto truck and delivered to the toy
closet, or the toys may be conveyed
by a loudly footing train or by brave
ly prancing horses"
What about the child who deliber-
ately leaves his things strewn all over
the house ?"
"Show him that when we do not
take care of our possessions they soon
become broken and destroyed, and tell
him that when you find his things
thrown about you will suppose he does
not want to play with them and so
they will disappear for a long time.
This works well for I've tried it!
"On the other hand, every child
should have some place where he can
play and leave his unfinished work un-
til another playtime-a place of his
own, if nothing more than low table
in a quiet corner, where he can build
towers, color pictures, make scrap
books and solve puzzles. Partly fin
ished work of this kind cannot be
cleared away each time without keen
disappointment to the little worker.
These things mean lot in a child's
development"
'It's worth trying, anyway" smiled
Mrs. Frazier. Il confess I'm tired of
the confusion and weary of constantly
picking up playthings. If at the same
time l can teach a really valuable
lesson, that, of course, will be worth
while accomplishment"