A Toy Story

Designing a space to encourage independent toddler play takes thinking like a Lilliputian. (Remember in Jonathan Swift's classic, Gulliver travels to the land of Lilliput where he meets people one twelfth the size of humans?) This past weekend, I was forced to see a room from the eyes of a year-and-a-half old little boy.

Prior to furnishing the room, it was an approximately twelve by sixteen foot caramel box with toys lined up around the walls. 

To entice a little guy to explore, the toys needed to be placed at his eye-level, easily accessible.  My daughter and I accomplished this by purchasing at Target two Circo bin organizers and two Circo book display shelves. 

We also got a Circo toy chest. 

Then to create a child-sized space, we purchased an indoor child's tent.

A bean bag chair gave the "men" a cushion for wrestling.

It was like Christmas morning for all of us.  We adults were gleeful with child-like delight when we saw this little boy literally prance from one item to the next scarcely able to contain himself.  What fun!  Happy boy! 

Happy Gigi!