24 Tips on How to Teach Children to Clean Up [From the Mouths of Moms]

Can’t find time to read all of those parenting books and magazines?  Don’t have a lot of mommy friends to bounce ideas off of?  Kids go crazy every time you get on the phone to ask a friend their advice?  No problem; I’ll do the work for you!




Every Thursday I bring you kid-tested parenting tips for a specific parenting challenge “from the mouths of moms.”  We’ve already shared lots of tips for dealing with picky eaters, getting kids to sleep better, ensuring stress-free play dates, cooking with kids, potty training success, promoting sibling bonding, teaching good touch bad touch, taming toddler aggression, dealing with an overly emotional child, and keeping kids safe while on the go.  Whew!  Now here are direct quotes from a diverse group of moms (with kids of all ages and tons of ideas) on teaching kids to clean up and organize toys.  Meet your new mommy friends…
 

Alright, Mamas, how do you teach your child to clean up their toys?

 

1. Start Young
“My toddler is just under two, but he loves to do what Mommy and Daddy does. Whenever I'm cleaning house and he's close by, I give him a dust cloth or small broom with a dust pan to help out. He thinks that's the greatest thing in the world and he looks so proud of himself. I will also ask him for help with things like putting his books away or tossing something in the garbage can and most of the time he is willing to oblige.” Gina from famiglia&seoul

2. Less is More
“Less toys, less overwhelming choices, less tidying, less clutter, less things going missing. More calm, more play space, more easy access to the things you really love, more play time.” Cathy from Nurturestore (Here are more tips from Cathy on paring down toys.)

3. Separate Into Boxes
“I have everything in separate boxes (e.g. a box for farms, one for tea sets) and try to only get one box out at a time, then tidy away before getting out a new one. That's the theory anyway!” Rebecca from Here Come The Girls

4. Rotate & Shop
“We will take our organized toys, divide them into sets, leave one set out, put away another set, and then rotate them whenever we would normally go shopping for something new.” Kim from Little Stories

5. Set a Good Example
“Firstly it's about setting the right example. I can't expect my kids to keep their rooms clean if I can't keep mine clean.” Deborah from Learn from Play at Home

6. Give Them an Incentive
“Another great statement to use with elementary aged kids is, ‘You're welcome to do [insert desired activity] after you've done [insert cleaning chore].’ Most of the time our girls are so excited about going to the park, having a popsicle, watching a movie that they clean up without an argument.” Zina from Let’s Lasso the Moon

7. Give a 5 Minute Warning
“We give a five minute reminder before it's time to start cleaning up to let them have those last minutes of play, it's important to give a signal to children before transitions.” Kim from The Educators’ Spin On It

8. Put the Toys to Sleep
“Since my toddler does his clean up at night, we often say the different toys have to go to sleep too and that they have certain places where they sleep.” Jennifer from The Good Long Road

9. One Set at a Time
“Until they learn to keep the toys tidy and are able to handle keeping it tidy and only playing with one set of toys at a time, they don't need to be taking a few from each set for play.” Kristen from Caution: Twins at Play (Read more about Kristen’s toy strategy here.)

10. Relax & Enjoy It
“If clean-up time is pursued in a relaxed, content manner, you and your children will enjoy—and even cherish—your work more. Hum a little, smile a little, and you may just feel like you like work a little more.” Heather from wordplayhouse (Here are more ideas from Heather on enjoying homekeeping with kids.)

11. Help Them Understand the Benefits
“A great tip for working with younger children is to showcase the behavior you'd like to see them do & narrate its benefits. So for example, you might say something like, ‘I'm going to vacuum now. It makes me happy when the floor is clean.’ You would then proceed to vacuuming with a big grin on your face.” Zina from Let’s Lasso the Moon

12. Be Specific
“When they need a little instruction, I suggest specific tasks like, ‘Put all the Matchbox cars in this bin,’ rather than just saying ‘Clean up your toys.’ Toddlers and preschoolers often need simple and specific instructions.” Allison from Train Up a Child

13. Make Sure Containers Are Child-Friendly
“[Make] sure that bins/containers are child-friendly (they can open them, close them, and lift them to put them away).” MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

14. Make It Routine
“It's a normal part of our day to clean up before certain activities like meals, nap/bedtime, and before we leave the house. I think the more routine you make it and that it's just something you do, the easier it is.” Amanda from Dirt and Boogers

15. Break It Down
“Break down big jobs into small tasks to make it seem more manageable. Even for adults, looking at a huge mess can seem like an overwhelming task and this is even more so for young children. Focus on one little task at a time and praise your child for their efforts.” Deborah from Learn from Play at Home

16. Sing a Song
“He started doing a sing songing thing using the words ‘Put away,’ so we build on that and now have a little ‘Put away’ song.” Jennifer from The Good Long Road

17. Make it a Game
“We play a lot of games like ‘I am thinking of something Blue’ and the kids pick up all the things with blue until the one I am thinking of has been taken care of!” Amanda from The Educators’ Spin On It

18. Use a Timer
“I set a timer when it is clean up time and things need to be put away by bedtime.” Deirdre from JDaniel4’s Mom

19. Separate Types of Toys
“I'm in the process of labeling our toy boxes - more to do with my husband putting things away in the right place as J won't put away things if the box that they should go in has things that aren't in the correct box (dinosaurs in the car box means that nothing gets put away).” Cerys from Rainy Day Mum

20. Call the Toy Fairy
“We have the Toy Fairy visit each night. She is a fairy that loves toys but does not have any of her own. She is not allowed to take toys that are put away, but if they are left out she thinks they are for her. We have yet to take toys away, but there are nights where we ‘contact’ the Toy Fairy and tell her not to come if our day is spinning out of control.” Carrie from Crafty Moms Share

21. Give Lots of Praise
“With my 14mo old I try to make the task sound fun with my tone of voice and give her a ton of praise. She already knows how to take clothes out of the dryer, and unload silverware from the dishwasher!” Christina

22. Weigh the Creative Costs Versus Benefits
“I fail miserably at trying to get him to put one thing away before getting another out - I worry that it might stifle his creative play if I insist on this too much. So instead when the mess starts getting a bit too much we tidy up together.” The Monko from Taming the Goblin

23. Put Things In Perspective
“I have found that if I don't stress about messes then the girls are more apt to tidy things up on their own. I think it is important to keep the mess in perspective. Generally speaking messes usually mean we've been having fun!” Jennifer from Kitchen Counter Chronicles

24. Every Little Bit Counts
“I struggle with organizational skills myself, so teaching my kids how to cleanup their stuff is a challenge for me. I try to keep where toys belong simple, get rid of stuff when our collection of toys gets overwhelming, and involve the kids in clean-up. Most importantly when I fail in this area (or don't do as well as other moms I know) I just try to take manageable steps in the right direction.” Bethany from No Twiddle Twaddle

Do your kids keep their toys cleaned up and organized?  What’s your trick? 

 
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