What Do You Do to Get Your Child to Pick up Thier Toys?

Okay this is the COOLEST thing and requires no bribes, no threats and no manipulation. My children actually want to clean now. It is called the House Fairy - let them watch the film on teh website and then they run off to clean. It is a great idea and I highly recommend it.

http://www.housefairy.org/

I trained them as early as they could crawl/walk. lol I also organize their toys and books in canvas/wood bins, on shelves, and ask them to clean up before meals and bed. They have been pretty good about it, especially my son. They even clean up at friends' houses and wherever we go (bookstore toys/books.)

When they don't want to clean up, their toys go into "time out" and put away for a few days to a month, depending on how long it takes for me or them to remember. lol But that doesn't happen very often, as they KNOW I will put them away. (It only takes but a few times.) lol

With my three children- 9, 3 and 4. I tell them clean up your toys now or whatever I see when be thrown away.[right before bed and when there are just too many out]
We have had fight and I have had to "store" (trashed to them) away some toys but it works. Also rotating toys so they don't get to use to them.... gl

I have a 6 year old and a 21 month old girls. The younger one helps clean up better than the older, but I think that is because the older knows how to 'talk' her way out of it. I have containers with their toys organized in ways that there is no 'wrong' way to clean up. I ask the younger one to be my helper and give her MAJOR praise for doing so. I can get the older one to help by turning on music and making it a 'fun' time. Unfortunately, not all children find the thrill in cleaning...I work with children at church. It is a very difficult thing to master, but making it habit can help. Structure!! I think making sure that things are cleaned up before the next thing is taken out...NOTHING else happens until everything is cleaned up. I think that putting their favorite things in time out can also help...that is keep them there until things are cleaned to your satisfaction.
Best of luck!!

My son is 18mts. and we maek it a game. Every night he has to pick up all his toys. My husband or myself help him but he gets the concept. We make it excieting to put the toys away. When he is done we clap and get all pround and high five him. He is realyl good at it. We talk to him and tell him to come get this toy, or book, etc. It has worked for us. Good Luck!

It may sound bad, but I threaten her. One time about 6 months or so ago, I asked her to pick up her toys, but she kept playing and ignored me. I gave her a few minutes and asked again and she said no, so I told her I was going to throw them away, but of course she didn't beleive me. But, I got a big garbage bag and started throwing them in the bag. She went nuts and was trying to keep up w/ me so I woudln't throw anything else in the bag. Now, I may have to ask more than once, but once I threaten to get the bag, she cleans up lickity split!

The clean up song works wonders for my 2 year old. Don't worry if you don't know the "real" one, just make one up. Or ask a friend, I have found most moms around me know it at least good enough to use for a toddler. My son loves singing the song while he picks up toys and tosses them in his toy box. He gets so excited that he starts gathering everything else in the house as well as his toys and putting it all in his box!

When my son was younger, and now with my daughter, I help and we race to see who can pick up fastest (without running). Now that my son is older he knows that he either picks them up or I do. If I pick them up they are then mine and I can do with them what I please. Since I have no real affinity for Legos (I really dislike them in the middle of the night under my bare feet) or Spiderman or what-have-you, I don't mind throwing them away or donating them to a shelter so another child without toys can enjoy them. I did get rid of MANY, MANY trash sacks full of toys before he knew that I REALLY meant business, but he definitely knows it now. The way I see it is, if he has so little regard for his toys that he will leave them on the floor to get stepped on and broken, he does not need them. There is some other child that will cherish those toys and take good care of them.

We sing a clean up song and sometimes have races to see who can pick up the toys the fastest.

we have 2 kids age 6 and 3 and when the do not pick up there toys we do the same as suggestion below we get garbage bags, bag up all the toys... then we have a punishment period when they think they can pick there toys up they get them back.

GOOD LUCK!

This is for those who want the words.

We use the Barney version. Go to youtube and search for it and you can hear it.

Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.
Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share.

here is a link to a bunch of them.
http://www.preschooleducation.com/scleanup.shtml

Mine has been picking up and doing chores since he could walk... so, it is a routine in our home.
If he sometimes doesn't want to help pick up what he takes out, I put them in a bin myself and put the bin up for a few days or so...
Good luck

I started doing all this when my son was about 6 mos. old in order for him to become used to it. I sing the "Clean Up" song & help him. He gets overwhelmed if I don't help, but he does the majority of it. If he doesn't clean up, then I threaten to throw them away, & I've made good on my threat by putting the toy in the trash.

Also, I make him put one toys up before he gets another one, so that it won't be so overwhelming for him in the end.

For my 2 1/2 year old, I do make a game out of it. I ask if he can help me find the "red toy" or the "green truck";etc. He's excited to find it and he's learning his colors at the same time. We do it together, so it's not so overhwhelming to him. He's not always cooperative, so there are times I say it's mine, pick it up, and put it out of his reach (he can see it, but can't get to it). We come back at the end of the day and put it away so we can play with it the next day. As for the 5 year old, I expect his room to stay clean and give him the responsibility of informing his friends the room needs to stay clean. If he doesn't speak up to his friends to help him clean after playing, it's his responsiblity to clean after they leave. It's takes some repeating at times, but I inform the 5 year old if I find this particular toy on the floor in the next 5 minutes, it's going to the donation box---he moves quickly.
Second, if you are constantly seeing toys on the floor, you may need to donate toys on a regular basis to a women's shelter or an orphanage (we have an orphanage near our home). Four times a year we donate--I have a box (out of view of the boys) and as I notice toys at the bottom of the toybox no longer being played with, I clean them and put them in the box. Once the box is full, it's taped and ready for delivery. If you are dealing with less toys, there's less mess to clean up. I do explain to my five year old how fortunate he is to get as many toys as he does at Christmas and birthdaytime. He's willing to part with toys before Christmas and his birthday to make room for the new ones coming. This makes for less clutter while teaching the 5 year old about doing good things for others (a great life lesson). Hope this helps!

At first all i had to do is ask, then i would try to make a game or race out of it, then it got to where i had to beg, then it got to where i had to threaten to throw them in the "trash", that doesnt work anymore, and i have even let him see me throw them in the real trash, at first it freaked him out and he would get them, now he could care less, i tell him pick up your toys or im going to throw them in the trash and he just tells me to throw them. Its all very frustrating, i havent ever heard of the song thing though so im not sure if that would work (if anyone could tell me how it goes so i could try it thanks). I dont even know what to do anymore!! so if you are having trouble hopefully you dont have as hard headed of a kid as i do, Good Luck!!!

We sing the "Clean Up" Song with our 17 month old son. He is at the stage that we wants to help with everything and that is just one more thing to make him feel like a big boy.

When my son went to daycare (daily) they had toys out until 4:30pm. After that time, if a child played with a toy, he/she had to put the toys away before they could go home. My son would play with toys and they were out all over the floor. So one day I told him he had to clean up his toys before he could go to bed and he did. It was just a habit we got into so that way when it was time to go to bed, the room was tidy and the floor had no toys. You will just have to start a routine and stick to it. Good luck.

My son tries to pull this all the time. I don't make him pick up his toys everynight because sometimes it's just not that big of a deal. When the toys become a problem and they are all over the house and he doesn't want to clean up I try to make it a game. Like I will have him pick up all of the red blocks then the blue....or we sing the "clean up" song. If he is really in a mood and won't clean up I put everything that is out in the top of his closet and the next day when it's play time we look up at the toys and we talk about why they are up there and if he wants them back he HAS to clean up when mommy and daddy say it's time.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!