Get Your Kids to Clean Up Toys!
In “From the Mouths of Moms” 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
[Tweet “Cleanup Tip: Whenever I’m cleaning house, I give him a dust cloth!”]
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
[Tweet “Toy Tip: Divide them into sets, leave one set out, put away a set, and then rotate.”]
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
[Tweet “Cleanup Tip: Give kids a five minute reminder before it’s time to clean up.”]
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
[Tweet “Cleanup Tip: Toddlers and preschoolers often need simple and specific instructions.”]
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
[Tweet “Cleanup Tip: We have the Toy Fairy visit at night!”]
21. Give Lots of Praise
“With my 14 month 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
[Tweet “Remember: Messes usually mean we’ve been having fun!”]
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
Are your kids good about toy clean up? What’s your trick, Mama? Share with us in the comments!
Sachin Shah says
I really liked this blog. It is vital that you teach your kids to clean up as children so that it does not become a strain on them as they grow up. It is always easy to learn things when one is young. As one gets older, one fails to accept change. I will consider applying some of these tips at my home.
Krissy of B-Inspired Mama says
So true. Making these things habits when young will really help a child grow into a responsible adult! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Ames says
Love the suggestions. I really struggle with my now 5yo ignoring my requests to tidy up so I’m running out of space for confiscated toys. I do have boxes for toy types, but rather than have the boxes accessible I am going to try and make a catalogue of games so they each get to pick something to play with. Fingers crossed as the place is usually a mess!
Selina Marie says
Hey Krissy,
Just stumbled on this when doing some research for my own site and absolutely love it!
Great, well thought out article with some actionable ideas for organising the chaos!
Love it!
Selina
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Thanks so much for the kind words, Selina!
Renita says
Wonderful, wonderful tips! I think that kids taking part in the family duties is very important for their upbringing! Thanks for sharing!
Linda Wilgus says
Great article, I love all the tips, especially the idea of getting only one or two things out at a time and tidying them away before getting out something else. I feel it sometimes gets overwhelming – for the kids and myself – to have the whole floor strewn with toys at the end of the day, so will have to try this as I think it may work really well for us. One other thing we do that helps with the tidying is I offer each of our girls a reward sticker which we stick on a “tidy up poster” (just a sheet of paper that’s stuck to the fridge) if they not only help, but help without whining about it (especially our eldest, who is five, tends to be quite miffed about having to clean up, so in the past she would help but whine about it the entire time, which with the sticker system she doesn’t do anymore). I see the stickers as a temporary thing as I hope eventually it will simply become part of their routine to help with tidying up their toys. We’ll see I guess! Thanks for some great tips!
Jonathan says
I think that the points about routine and making clear the benefits of cleaning are really important. Sometimes it’s really not fun, but it’s something that’s really important.
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
True – I think we need a healthy balance of trying to make things fun for our kids but also teaching them that not-fun things sometimes need done anyway.
Full Spectrum Mama says
I am really working on this right now. we’ve spent so much energy “catching up” with our various challenges that i am not sure this important lesson has shone through vis-a-vis chores and such…Sigh.
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
It’s always a challenge for us, too. I’m trying to work more with my toddler on this now. Part of the issue for us, though, is the amount of toys. Gah! We really need to pare down.
Kathy says
I find that if I help my grandson clean up, he stays with it better. I tell him I’m going to pick up the Legos and he can pick up his cars. Then when we accomplish that, we move on to the next pair of toys. But I agree with the adage, we reap what we sow. If the adult is a slob, the child will learn that messiness is ok. As a preschool teacher, I always chuckle when I have parents say to me “Really? He cleans up for you?” It takes teamwork and modelling.
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
I do agree about the modelling – and that’s probably my biggest challenge!
Full Spectrum Mama says
Howzabout tips for teenagers and those soon to be teenagers…argh!
<3
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Oh – good topic! I’ll work on that. 😉
Kimberly Sminkey says
Oh how I needed this! If you could see the mess of my home right now! Thanks
Daniela says
This is great! Not just for moms to know but also for nannies and babysitters! Thank you!
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Yes, for any caregivers. Thanks, Daniela!
Cody says
You should add “Adopt a Mon-stor from LuandEd.com” to the list! 🙂 They are a great way to encourage children to pick up!
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Awesome, Cody! I love them. 🙂
Amanda says
You've done it again! Love all the ideas! I think this is my favorite series…always looking forward to Thurdays. Thanks for including me!
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Thanks, Amanda! Couldn't do it without all you mamas. 🙂
JDaniel4's Mom says
I think we are going to start to put our toys to sleep for naps in the afternoon and for the night right after dinner.
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
I know – isn't that brilliant! I even think it could work for my 3 year old. She'd love that.
sandi says
A couple of weeks ago I posted about how clean up in kindergarten is about being a good citizen (good citizens take care of where they live, play and learn/work).
http://rubberbootsandelfshoes.blogspot.ca/2012/07/make-difference-citizenship.html
Sandi
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Thanks for sharing, Sandi! I love how you had the kids get involved in the rule making. I used to do that with my middle and high schoolers when I was teaching, too.
Jaime JJ says
great tips-FSPDT:-)
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Thanks, Jaimee!