Designate an area in your home as the “play area”. Think about area’s can children play in and what areas can the children not play in.
How are you going to store toys? You can use one big toy bin or a cubby with bins.
Toys
You don’t need a ton of toys. The more toys you have the more toys you’ll have to clean up and organize. Oh and don’t forget sanitize. You’re better off having fewer toys out at a time and rotating toys on a weekly or monthly basis. Too many toys often overwhelm kids anyways.
Try to have age appropriate toys. But don’t worry about having gender specific toys, let kids decide what they want to play with. However, remember small toys for older kids are choking hazards for smaller children. A general rule is if the toy can fit into a toilet paper roll it’s too small.
Books
Don’t use your favorite books for your home daycare. Buy books that you won’t care if they get ripped, chewed or puked on. Have a variety of age appropriate books on hand. Books make a great quiet time activity.
Art and Craft Supplies
Oh, the mess but crafts are so much fun. Parents love to see that their children are having fun and creating masterpieces. Craft supplies don’t need to be expensive. Reuse items in your home or check out your local buy and sell for craft supplies. You can also post a “wanted ad” for free leftover craft supplies for your home daycare.