My 5-year-old daughter Jillian is a bit of a pack rat. A sparkly Easter egg. An old birthday card. A party trinket. A sparkly rock found on a walk. All of these things hold some significance to her. In her mind, these items must be kept and preserved for years to come.
Now, I think I do a fairly good job of keeping the kids' toys under control, but these small treasures were creating a big problem. I found them all over the house. There was never a good place to put all of these odds and ends. And, because there was no set place to put them, inevitably a few of these "treasures" would be misplaced. Predictably, meltdown would ensue.
About a year ago, I came across an idea submitted to a parenting magazine. It suggested creating a drawer as a place for your child to store special items. So, I cleared out a drawer in her dresser and declared it her "Treasure Drawer."
It has worked beautifully. Jillian finally has a place where she can store all of the miscellaneous items she collects. It's also an ideal place for her to store things she might want to keep out of reach of other siblings. Every couple months, Jillian and I go through the drawer together. She decides what she'd like to keep and what she's willing to part with.
It's a simple solution that makes clean up easier, keeps the house neater and keeps everyone happy.
For more great ideas, head on over to Shannon's place.
11 comments:
I love this, because there's a finite space. Eventually, something has to go (right?). Thanks for the tip!
Great idea!
:)
I currently have no empty drawer, but I am going to get one! Or maybe just a box under his bed. Aaron is a SERIOUS packrat.
We have limited dresser space, so I can't do this... BUT, I have heard of doing the same thing with one of those under-bed storage bins. I may have to try that! Thanks.
What a great idea!! My daughter is just a year and a half so she has not started to latch on to "treasures" but I will certainly keep this idea in mind for the future.
When that time comes, if I don't have a free dresser drawer (and maybe even if I do) it would be fun to make an art project out of this. I could get a box or container of some sort and then let her decorate her own treasure chest.
Thanks for sharing!
great idea! i think i'll try that on my daughter. she keeps alot of 'trinkets' around too!
A treasure box would be fun because you could spend a rainy day decorating the treasure box with some of the treasures. Thanks for the tip!
What a great idea! My daughter does the same thing. I find dried up flowers, and pebbles and things in her pockets when I do the laundry. And it never fails, if I throw it away, she will come and ask for it a little while later. I think I'll try the treasure drawer idea. Thanks!
Great tip, I think I need a treasure dresser with 6 kids!
Great idea! I like the idea of using a drawer that has a place where it also belongs and is not really portable like a storage container would be.
You're so right, Sherry. For a while my daughter stored all her "treasures" in little shopping bags. I'd find those all over the house as well!
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