How do you get your kids to pick up their toys? The answer is simple. You have to make it easy and fun for them. Otherwise, chances are that they won’t pick up without you forcing them to.
But how do you do that? There are three solutions: make it a game, get the right tools, and make it a habit.
Start out by getting the right tools for your house. These don’t have to be expensive, but they do need to fit your children’s personalities and the toys that they have. Most people already have a toy box, which works well for quick clean up and storage of large toys. A baby toy hammock is useful for storing stuffed animals up and out of the way. The Prince Lionheart Jumbo toy hammock can hold of a lot of stuffed animals, and it can be found for under $10 if you know where to look.
Another tool you may want to consider is the toy bin organizer. The separate bins on this allow your children to sort and store toys in a way that’s easy to find. This is useful if your child always dumps out the whole toy box to get to one or two toys on the bottom. It’s not cheap, but you can often find it on sale.
If you don’t want to spend the money on one, use baskets or bins in combination with a bookshelf. Your child can then sort the toys into there. Just make sure you put the baskets on the bottom shelves to avoid any accidents.
After you have your tools, you need to make picking up a game. Set a time every day for your children to put away their toys. This usually works best right before bed. You can even make it a contest to see who can pick up the most or see if they can beat their time for the previous day. Give out prizes if desired.
Finally, make picking up a habit. By doing it at the same time every day, then your children get in the habit of picking up. It can take about three weeks to set this habit in place, so make sure you stay on top of it!
So there you have it. Get the right tools, make picking up fun, and create a cleaning habit in your children. In no time, you’ll be enjoying the benefits of having a nice, clean house.