Toy Time Out
The Red Bucket of Cars
Too many cars, too many chances.
After lunch, pre-nap, H was playing with cars. He has a red bucket full of them and loves to dump them all out on the floor to play (woohoo two year olds finding joy in that but boohoo to the baby trying to sleep in the room directly under the hardwood floor where those very same cars were dumped). However, lots of cars means lots of cleanup. H was tired and didn’t want to stop playing, let alone clean them all up. Grandma gave him several chances to clean up the cars, even offering to help, and saying that if he didn’t do it she wouldn’t get the chance to read with him. Perfect. A natural consequence that if there is a certain amount of pre-nap time allotted and he uses it delaying and avoiding cleaning up the cars, then he will not have the opportunity to read with Grandma. Well, that consequence wasn’t registering for H. Next step was to let him know if he didn’t clean up the cars he would not have the opportunity to play with them the rest of the day. Grandma took him downstairs for nap, I put all the cars (overflowing) into the bucket and then intentionally placed in on the counter high enough for him not to reach, but in his plain sight.
Grandma came up and said thanks for cleaning them up and she would hide them away somewhere. I immediately said NO! WE HAVE TO LEAVE THEM OUT FOR HIM TO SEE! To which Grandma responded with 2 valid questions questions…wouldn’t that be traumatic for him? Since this was the first instance, wouldn’t it make sense to wait until the 2nd or 3rd time that he doesn’t clean them up?
Yes, it will be difficult for H to see that red bucket, and not being able to play with them. That is the point. He needs to recognize that his actions (not cleaning up/taking care of his toys) have natural consequences (not being able to use them). That is the boundary and holding boundaries for kids is important. Traumatic would be burning them. He just loses the opportunity to play. And with this reality, his chances of doing it a 2nd or 3rd time are a lot less. H knows the grownups aren’t bluffing.
