The Mom Connection

 Now on to this week’s topic!

 Getting the kids to clean up toys is actually a very recent topic of concern for
me. In 2008, I gave birth to a beautiful little baby girl named Emily, and then
our lives turned into a whirlwind of activity that included two more babies and
before I knew it, four years later, I was grudgingly cleaning up roomfuls
of toys during nap time while wistfully daydreaming about sitting on the
couch reading a novel. One day my mom snapped me back to reality by
pointing out that my littles were well old enough to be cleaning up after
themselves. Oh yeah, that one thing I’m supposed to be teaching them.


My
first method of getting the kids to clean up included some yelling, a bit of
bribing and lots of threatening. Fail. This left me with a messy house, three
cranky kids and lots of frustration.


I decided it was time to get
creative. Lately we’ve been finding many more ways to clean up that are much
more fun and exciting. For example, when cleaning up the blocks, we pick them up
by color. I let the kids pick which colors in what order. First, we might put all of
the red blocks into the basket, then the yellow and so on. Sometimes I let them
each pick a type of toy to be responsible for – such as Emily picking up
the books and Bentley picking up the toy cars. One of our very favorites,
however, is pulling out each basket in our family room and lining them up in the
middle of the floor. We then pick up each toy and try to toss it into the
correct basket. This usually results in lots of giggles, but you can bet the
toys get cleaned up!


One last thing, I have to say on this topic is that
the more organized your play area is, the better. Our small toy area is very
organized {you can view it here}. There is one
clearly-marked basket for each type of toy, and one basket for
miscellaneous toys. Everything has a home. The more confusing and chaotic a toy
space is, the more overwhelming it is for kids {and parents!} to clean
up.


So I supposed my advice is – get organized and have fun!

When their daughter was born and as she got
older, I was out numbered and needed help with the disasters they created. So I
encouraged them to help me clean up. The older one was so used to me doing
everything that he just wouldn’t help. I had to say things like, “Oh your baby
sister is doing such a good job cleaning up, could you help her?” or “Let’s see
who can clean up the most” or “the fastest” etc. Cleaning eventually became
a part of his routine. 

My suggestion? Get them started early where they are used
to it and it is just habit. My daughter knows what to do when I say let’s clean
up now and, although I have to go behind her, I feel I am setting her up for
good habits in the future. And she likes it because we try to make it a game.
She is even learning how to organize her toys now as well.

2: Off to the Races! Often,
my kids would drag the cleaning of large messes out all day. As long as I was
watching they would clean, but the moment I left they would lose focus and begin
playing. Also, they all cleaned at a snail’s pass, hoping that if they waited
it out, one of their sibling would eventually finish the job without them. That
is why, instead of “cleaning a mess,” we head “off to the races!” I set a timer
and give everyone an area to clean up. Whoever cleans up their mess first wins
the race

3: Repossession or Reward? When my
children forget to put away their toys, I simply repossess them. Once a toy is
repossessed, my children must buy it back with Popsicle sticks or by doing an
extra chore. On the other hand, if they do keep their toys tidy, I reward them
with Popsicle sticks or an occasional
treat!