Yesterday, I went into the living room and everything, I mean, EVERYTHING was tidy!
The stuffed animals in the basket, the legos in the box, the puzzles on the shelf, even the toy kitchen was tidy!
I was so surprised I wanted to cry… then my husband snored and I wanted to cry even more!
But why can't it be real??
Actually, it can! (SURPRISE!)
Small children love to put things in boxes, bags, baskets or in that really tight corner that we can never reach. One of the best ways to get young children to help tidy up is to make it a game. But we need to set an example. I'm sure you've caught your baby doing the exact same things you do, so when it comes to tidying up, if they see you doing it, (don't cheat and tidy up after they've gone to bed!), chances are they'll will do it too.
Making up or using a tidy-up song that children are familiar with and giving them advance warning that playtime is about to end is also a great strategy and works very well whether at home or at school. Sometimes children get so involved in their activity that they can be a little confused by the sudden interruption of their playtime. Another super useful strategy is to play a song that the children relate to tidying up time (previously agreed upon) 5 minutes before it is necessary to tidy up. This gives them time to finish their play and get into the cleaning spirit.
Another good strategy is to label where each thing belongs. We can take a picture of each toy or material and paste it in its place. A more economical alternative is to ask older siblings, or an adult, to draw a picture of each item. This helps them remember where everything goes and promotes cognitive skills as they have to match the object to the right image/place (goodbye spending money on matching games!).
Create a routine and start slowly. Decide together when it's time to tidy up, do this at least twice a day to instill the habit and avoid having too much to tidy up at the end of the day. Keep the activity simple, start by putting the toys in a basket and later, add putting the puzzles on the shelf and the books on the bookshelf.
Be patient, kids are still learning how things work and they really don't care if it looks like a hurricane has passed through the place. How many of you remember if your childhood home was tidy? This is a process and will take time. Encourage them and give them positive, heartfelt feedback for a job well done!
