3 Ways to Get your Kids to Pick Up After Themselves
Author: Lily Morgan

Do you know that feeling, the antsy one that comes from seeing every single one of your child’s toys all over the room? If yes, then you are not alone. Since the beginning of time – or at least since children have had their own rooms - parents have tried and failed to get their offspring to put away their toys.

The good news is that you can get your child to pick up after himself – and it can happen sooner, rather than later! The following tips will help your child participate in the most dreaded part of the day known to kids: CLEAN-UP TIME!

Start teaching them early - good habits are hard to break!

Not to attempt a discussion on the nature of humankind, it should be more than apparent that kids seem naturally inclined not to want to pick up after themselves. Cleaning up is a job. As with all other behavioral issues, talk is cheap, and it is far better to train your child early in the way that he or she should behave.

Just as your children will hold onto the bad habits they develop as infants and toddlers, they will hold true to the good ones they are taught. Start teaching your children to pick up their toys when they are toddlers. They may not be overly joyful at the idea of it, or they may become easily distracted from the task, but they will be far too young to rebel for the sake of rebelling.

Perception is reality, so make cleaning appear fun. Your kids will buy into it!

Young as your kids may be, they pick up on things very easily. Your attitude towards clean-up time will influence them. If you act as though picking up after yourself is a big drag, your children are almost guaranteed to imitate that behavior.

For this reason, approach your cleaning time with lightheartedness. When possible, make it fun. Kids are perceptive, yes, but they usually will not pick up on your attempt to lure them into doing something they do not want to do. In other words, unless your child is exceptionally cynical, you can get away with disguising clean-up time as a fun game or activity.

What type of games you can play? One example is a friendly contest in which you and your child battle to see who can put away the most toys. You can set a time limit, such as two minutes or so, to make the game more exciting. Your child will likely become very enthusiastic at the prospect of beating Mommy or Daddy. The result? A full toy box and, more importantly, a clean room!

Once the games no longer work, use a reward system

Unfortunately, as your kids grow older, they will eventually realize that cleaning is really not that much fun. They will see through any games that you try to play with them. At this point, it is time to develop a rewards system for their cleaning efforts.

Most families use a simple sticker chart because it works. Kids love stickers. They also love having their work highlighted on the refrigerator door for the entire world to see. Simply make seven columns and one row for each of your kids. The child gets a sticker for each day he or she picks up the toys at a certain time, i.e. right before bedtime. If they have successfully picked up their toys every day of the week, give your kids some type of special treat.

Remember, though, that while games and stickers are nice, in the end your children will have to clean up because you said so. Respect for you and your wishes is paramount.
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Article Tags: Childrens Cleaning, Clean-up Time

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