How to Get Kids to Clean Up Their Toys

Build Toy Clean-up Routines into the Day

Cleaning routines are a practical, quick way to tidy every day. Find clean-up routines that work for you and your children. Here are some ideas:

• Race to pick up 50 toys each before lunch.
• Set the timer for five minutes at the end of the day and pick up as much as possible before the time is up.
• Pick up ten or twenty toys before watching TV or playing a video game.

   

Clean with Dad

Children who are reluctant to help mom pick up toys may have a renewed interest in it when dad is the helper. In their 2008 Time Use Survey, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that, on an average day, 52% of women did some form of housework, while only 20% of men did. It stands to reason that children see their mothers do housework more often than they see their fathers do the same.

Boys are especially likely to follow their father’s example. If dad encourages the kids to work as a team with him to pick up the toys, the family may find clean-up time is less of a struggle.

If the amount of toys available for play is kept to a minimum, clean-up time will be less likely to become a burden for children and parents. Start as early as possible to develop cleaning habits and work to establish daily routines to get toys picked up. Encourage dad to help and get the whole family working as a team to take the struggle out of clean-up time.