One of the earliest mistakes I have when starting this 5S journey is not to have kids activities in the journey. I tend to keep all the improvement, arrangement etc to myself. This has created stress, havoc and upset to my belly, like the arrangement, sorting and everything that I do come tumbling down when my kids started to play with their toys. It is a problem with the toys and their playroom, or it is a problem with us as an adult. Children will be children, they will make it their point to enjoy whatever is being thrown to them So, why are we usually mad or angry when it comes to the kids’ playroom. It is supposed to be a happy place and space for them. But, somehow, we turn it into a nightmare venue and space.
First of all, child playroom supposes to be a playroom, meaning it is a place where they play. So, why we are not happy is the term to create a problem. But, that is from the parents point of view. For an adult, the room is messy, the toys are every where and the place is difficult to maneuver. But, for the children, it is an adventure of their own. A place where they call home, a place of happiness a place of joy. If were to make sure that the place is in good order then we need to move into their domain. We need to make cleaning as fun and as a game and not as a chore. Most of the times, cleaning us for children is a chore, a big chore that they need to go through.
Gamify
How about if we could gamify the problem and make it to our advantage. That is the main idea here. How to make cleaning up interesting, to make arranging interesting and how to make sorting interesting.If we could gamify all those action and activities, then the children will do all the work. They will even be happy doing it. Furthermore, if we could keep score with the kids by using stars, points or anything or that sort it would be a great way forward.
There are many kids activities that could be included as you 5S activities among them are:
- Sorting toys based on their colors or size
- Sorting toys based on their gender male / female
- Sorting toys based on their hardness level – soft toy vs. hard toy
- Arrange toy based on their importance
- Arrange toys based on their usage