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Last updated on December 24th, 2022 at 05:59 pm
I know a lot of parents are searching for the secret to getting their kids to pick up their toys. The truth is, it takes a lot of time and effort. But, boy, does it pay off.
I like to think of teaching kids to tidy up similar to potty training. It’s hard, it’s messy, you’re spending a lot of time helping them, and it just takes a dang long time.
These are all the things I’ve done that had my daughter picking up her own toys, without supervision, by 4-years-old.
How To Get Your Kids to Pick Up Their Toys
Have a home for all the toys.
Before I could teach Juliana anything about picking up her toys, I had to decide where they go in the first place. Having a home for everything is the first rule of organizing, which means it’s the first thing your kids should learn about picking up their toys.
Show your kids where to put the toys.
Once you decide where all the toys will go, you have to show them. Unless you have picture labels, labeling bins and baskets won’t do them any good. They’re going to remember location better than anything. Repeatedly showing them where specific toys go is the only way for them to learn.
Better yet, when they’re very young, get them into the habit of picking up toys and putting them in any bin. Specific bins and baskets can be a losing battle, but getting things picked up off the floor is a win.
Help them pick up their toys.
At first, you’re going to have to help them. There’s no real way around it. Until they learn where the toys go, the kids are going to need a little assistance.
I’d let Juliana do some by herself then help her with what she was struggling with.
Supervise.
They’re little and they’re easily distracted. If we left Juliana to her own devices, she would keep playing. So, we’d go into the playroom or her bedroom to remind her that right now it’s time to pick up her toys. Sometimes we’d give her specific instructions on what to do but let her be the one taking action.
Make it a routine.
I use three clean up routines with Juliana.
The first routine happens throughout the day since I work from home and she’s home with me most of the day. Every couple of hours, we’ll take a break doing whatever we’re doing and clean up for 10 minutes. (I call this a 10-Minute Tidy.)
As I was teaching her to pick up, I’d teach her to pick up the toys she wasn’t playing with. This is something she still struggles with. She’s come a long way because of all the time I spent coming into her playroom and asking her, “Are you still playing with this? Then let’s put it away.”
The second routine is our Nightly Reset. As dinner is almost ready, I’ll let her know it’s time to start cleaning up her toys. If she doesn’t finish before dinner, she has to pick up quickly once she’s done so she can get ready for bed.
The third routine is to clean up before we leave the house. I like to leave the house in the state I’d like to find it in when I come home. So if we plan on going somewhere during the day or going out to dinner, the toys have to be cleaned up before we leave.
A couple of things to note:
- Sometimes Juliana comes up with an elaborate set up for a Barbie house or her dollhouse. If it’s something I know she’s worked hard on setting up and wants to keep playing with it the next day, I’ll let her leave it up as long as it’s not blocking a walkway.
- Sometimes it’s not possible to pick up the toys before leaving. It’s ok. But I try to do it whenever possible because it keeps me from going crazy when we get home.
- Don’t do it for them when they’re bigger! I struggle with this so much! It’s faster for me to do it, but it doesn’t do them any good. If it needs to go faster, I offer to help them.
The key to getting your kids to pick up their toys.
Patience is the key. Taking the time to teach them where things go and micromanaging them can be really frustrating. But you’re empowering your kids to do it themselves. Eventually, there will be a day when you’ll walk into a room to supervise clean up and find that they already picked up their toys.
And you’ll know your time was well spent.
Need to declutter the kids’ toys first?
Grab my free Organizing Checklist, “How To Organize Practically Any Space” by clicking here.
If you have kid clutter all over the house, you’ll probably like this post “How I Keep My House From Becoming Overrun With Kid Clutter.”
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