In Primary Project playrooms: Less is always better

I ask a simple question as I visit playrooms….Why is the child’s play space loaded with so much stuff? Do we really need ten stuffed animals, ten containers of glitter or ten balls when we are meeting with children one on one?
 
Playrooms that contain random toys and materials resemble junk rooms. They are often over-stimulating and in fact inhibit the adult-child relationship process. Children spend more time exploring what is in each and every bin and less time in expressive play. It is in the power of expressive play that children share, learn and connect with us.
 
As we look around our play spaces this fall, do they convey the message that “Children and expressive play are valued here?”
 
Take inventory…declutter….protect the sanctuary of this special playroom from toys and materials that are not expressive and creative.
 
For we know, in Primary Project playrooms….less is always better.