One of the World’s Worst Inventions

We often talk about the best inventions ever made, but ever considered some of the worst inventions? We all probably had one as a child, but there are so many better options these days. The “worst invention” I am referring to is the toy box. Children are often encouraged to dump their toys in a toy box (in an effort to clean up) at precisely the time when children’s brains are in the sensitive period for creating order. Have you ever seen an orderly toy box? Not only does dumping toys in a toy box send the wrong message about how to clean up and put things back in their proper place, but the child is faced with chaos when they try to find their toy the next time. So what’s a better answer? Set up your child’s play area like a Montessori classroom. Put their toys on trays or in baskets, or use bins (like the ones from IKEA that we have in the Hawk’s Club) to keep toys organized. Then you can teach your child to put one toy back in its proper place before getting out another. You will foster your child’s budding sense of order and clean up will be much easier.