Tipping toys out - does this have value?

onceinabluemoon · 06-11-2011, 06:33 PM

Hi

Currently minding a gorgeous little 16 month old boy whose favourite past time is to take the trays of toys out of the kinderbox and empty them all on the floor. There are 12 trays containing things like duplo, play food, dinosaurs etc so this makes quite a mess!!

He does not play with the toys once they are turned out, just tips them out everywhere then walks on them to get to something else. He will help pick up if I ask him, like I said before he is a lovely child.

He also loves bags and putting things in bags and carrying them around, but doesn't actually pick up any toys from the ones on floor.

My question is: is there any play value to this, does he learn anything, does it fit within EYFS anywhere or schemas or is he just 'making a mess'?

This is his major pastime at the moment so I feel as if I should document it in his obs etc but don't really want to be negative.

I know you lovely ladies and gents will have some fab suggestions, TIA xx

**Mouse** · 06-11-2011, 06:46 PM

I used to look after a little boy who was exactly the same. He would just empty everything out, but never actually play with anything.

I went along with it thinking there was some reason behind it, but to be honest, I got fed up with it after a while! I was continually following him around picking things up, otherwise we had no floor space for the other children to play.

Eventually I moved a lot of the boxes out of the room, so he only had a limited number to tip out. I found he actually played better when he had less choice and it lead to me having a complete change around of the way I set the toys out. I found that all the children played with greater levels of concentration when they had fewer toys to play with.

**ja8estar** · 06-11-2011, 07:04 PM

I agree some times less is more
I have a mindee who does exactly the same I have filled bags with toys and other toys for her to tip she loves this game
but she doesn't like the treasure basket I have strange isnt it what children like

**QualityCare** · 06-11-2011, 07:06 PM

This is a schema as you have observed he likes putting things into and tipping out, can you remove the toy box or turn it round so he can't empty it, give him shape sorters, small bricks, bags, boxes any thing that he can put into and tip out, he will learn to sort the shapes to put in the sorter by just playing randomly at the moment, you can then lead onto cars or trains in tunnels.

**Helen79** · 06-11-2011, 07:07 PM

as long as he's not being rough with the toys and breaking them then I'd let him carry on as long as he's happy to help pick them up.
Maybe get a metal food tray and give him tubs of different things like pasta, rice etc so he can explore the sounds they make when he tips them out.

**kel1983** · 06-11-2011, 07:16 PM

Could it be Enveloping and enclosure schema. Im very interested in schemas. Amazing what else you notice they do after you have researched them

**kel1983** · 06-11-2011, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by kel1983

Could it be Enveloping and enclosure schema. Im very interested in schemas. Amazing what else you notice they do after you have researched them

or maybe Transporting

**buildingblocks** · 06-11-2011, 09:31 PM

there is a schema that covers it but not sure which one want to say scattering but know its not called that lol not much help I know

**Maza** · 06-11-2011, 10:01 PM

I had one like this who would head for the toy boxes as soon as she arrived! Yes, it was always the ones with tons of pieces in them - blocks etc. I live in a first floor flat and my 'downstairs neighbour' worked from home right under my lounge. It must have sounded like a thunderstorm!

**Pandypops** · 07-11-2011, 07:01 AM

My son is the same age and he loves doing exactly this. Emptying boxes and jars and putting things into bags and moving them around and then emptying them. He loves to put lids on things and "post" things too and then empty again. Anything he can find that has a space to put something inside, he loves. He also likes to pull books off shelves and open and shut doors repeatedly.

Drives me bonkers a lot of the time but I have been letting him do it as I thought it may be some kind of schema but not sure which one. Maybe I should try and develop these interests somehow.......

onceinabluemoon · 07-11-2011, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Pandypops

Maybe I should try and develop these interests somehow.......

This was my thought as well.

Thank you everybody for your replies.

I'm finding it a little difficult to let him tip out every box and leave it there as I have three children under 18 months who need to be able to crawl or walk on the floor (not to mention the danger of me tripping over toys carrying the baby) but am interested to see how else I can develop it apart from teaching him to pick it all back up.

I will have to check out my schemas info again and see what I can find out.

**sweets** · 07-11-2011, 08:04 AM

sorry but i wouldnt let him do it! it would drive me mad

schema or no schema (just a phase in my opinion

)

**rickysmiths** · 07-11-2011, 08:23 AM

Sweets its is irritating but can be very important for this little ones development. You can limit it by only having a couple of small boxes available for tipping or maybe have a tipper style truck with just a few bricks or similar in to limit the effect of the tipping. I have one who likes putting things into cars boxes tubs, anything and then tips them out and leaves them. You could have a shoe box or a couple of bags/baskets that could be used, then they won't tip great boxes of toys out the same way!

I think Sarah has a book on schemas

**Mum2be** · 07-11-2011, 10:28 AM

Thanks for this, my little boy does this all the time. I am pleased with the suggestions as I've been taking more away so he concentrates on fewer toys. Some of my older mindees have started copying him so hopefully I'll be able to wrap this one up

**funemnx** · 07-11-2011, 01:27 PM

I've been watching a little fella (3yrs) I mind tipping out Duplo, books and cars/trains, wondering wether to do an ob on him but wasn't sure what to write.

Is it mainly boys that have this type of schema? His little sister does it as well but I think she's copying him - she doesn't do it when he's at playschool.

**The Juggler** · 07-11-2011, 01:38 PM

it is an important development schema hon. I would just make sure there are lots of different recepticles, trollies, boxes etc and if you play with him, you can show him how to tip them from one to another (instead of on the floor) and then he may even move them from one place to another moving to another schema.

by emptying and filling containers they learn about space, volume, fit and size

**funemnx** · 07-11-2011, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by The Juggler

it is an important development schema hon. I would just make sure there are lots of different recepticles, trollies, boxes etc and if you play with him, you can show him how to tip them from one to another (instead of on the floor) and then he may even move them from one place to another moving to another schema.

by emptying and filling containers they learn about space, volume, fit and size

Excellent! Thank you Juggler - I've just bought a selection of different size/shape toy boxes rather than using all the same ones, so can use them for measuring now

**Goatgirl** · 07-11-2011, 01:57 PM

I look after a 2 little girls, both 16 months who love this. One more than the other, and I have given her any small boxes we have e.g. tissue boxes, teabag boxes etc and put things inside for her to 'find'. She then goes round filling them up from the various toy boxes.

They both also love opening and closing the magnetic door on the play house, and undoing zips. Think they'd like doing them up too, but its a bit trickier.
Also shoes and socks: taking them off, until today when the first little girl took them all off, then managed to get one shoe back on! We gave her a big round of applause

I tidy as I go and put things away and out of reach if they've been emptied and not played for a while after. Just for safety's sake really.

I don't think there's any harm in limiting the number of things which can be emptied: it's more the action than the quantity that matters. They must be learning all kinds of things from this: spatial awareness, so maths and motor skills; language patterns - in out, up down, push pull, put it in take it out, open shut, etc etc Tidying up's a good skill to learn too

best wishes,
Wendy

**Tealady** · 07-11-2011, 10:31 PM

My first ever mindee would do this. She'd come in and first thing she would do would be to tip the Tea set out, the wooden bricks, and the box of vtec animals... I was new to minding and childcare and hadn't even heard of a schema, I just thought she was doing it to make herself at home

So no it's not just a boy thing.

**watgem** · 08-11-2011, 11:31 AM

this definitely sounds like a schema, does he really seem involved and engaged with what he is doing? If he appears to very focused on it and spends a long time on this eg longer than he would be expected to spend on an activity in terms of his age, then I would say it is a schema, and although annoying for you it will not only help in learning early maths/science, but will also support his emotional well being, dispositions and attitudes and could help you with planning for his next steps