We were just thinking about my daughter’s 1st birthday coming up next week and all of the generous family we have (read “all of the new ‘stuff’ she will get that we have to find space for in our small house”).
When my son turned 1 we instituted a strict ‘one in one out’ toy policy. We clean out the toys a few weeks before birthdays and Christmas, set aside any that can be donated or that another child we know would really LOVE and the rest get sold in garage sale or maybe thrown out if they are too worn.
Since our children are very small, we do this well in advance of the big day but as they get older we will have them help us sort and distribute the toys to their new home.
This serves two purposes, one selfish and one very generous. The children will learn the value of giving at a time when they are most concerned with getting things and we will not have to run obstacle courses through the house to sidestep all the toys we don’t have room for anyway!
I really think this is something that needs to be started early with children. The longer they go without exercising the act of giving, the more resistant they are to it!
Do you have any family tips to share with us? Leave a comment here or link to this post with Mister Linky!
Nice post, I’ve got five children myself, and they all really enjoy playing games.