The Montessori way of organizing a playroom

We are trying to raise our kids with the belief that less is more and we are also trying to educate them about their responsibility to give back to the community and to the less fortunate. We did a huge charity clear-out with the kids, and it was a big success. Hopefully, we can inspire you to do the same! Here are some ideas of how to organize your own clear-out. We organised our items in 4 piles:

• Keep
• Take to charity
• Take to Retykle (www.retykle.com // they sell your used toys for you, so you even get some money back!)
• Give to friends' younger kids

We went through our kids stacks of great quality toys and selected the ones they had grown out of or simply don’t love as much as other items. We tried to follow the Montessori way of how to organise a playroom. Often, we see "instagramable" images of organised playrooms with large bins or baskets. Unfortunately, when it comes to play time the baskets invite dumping as an activity, which can quickly turn into an endless loop of trying to keep the area tidy. In Montessori studies, they often speak of the idea of external order creating internal order. Just like an adult who has trouble focusing when their desk is a mess, a child is distracted when they have too many options at playtime. Offering your child a curated selection of toys (displayed at their level) allows them to deeply concentrate on the play at hand as they learn new skills.

So have fun decluttering and simplifying!