New Toy Pickup Method....We'll See If It Works

[thecrazyisout]

Today I decided to try something new with my kids. My ultimate goal is get to the point where when they play with something, they put it back in the bin where it belongs...I have struggled with this because I am a push over and then at lunch or the end of the day they are wasting time picking up when we could be reading a book or something...

so here goes.....every time they leave something out and go to play with something else. I wait until they aren't looking or in another part of the house to pick it up and hide it. Then a while later when they would like to play with it again, they ask where it is, and I say " I don't know, maybe you lost it...did you put it back where it belongs after you left it?" They say no and have been looking for things all day. Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?

[dEHmom]

personally, the idea isn't such a bad idea itself, but I would not recommend saying they lost it.

[AfterSchoolMom]

I think I'd just say "It went away because it wasn't put away properly. We'll try again later/tomorrow".

[thecrazyisout]

Good thinking..I didn't like that myself either, but couldn't seem to come up with something that made sense......I will try that.

THANKS!

[SandeeAR]

At what age do you guys start having them put up a toy before getting a new one? Mine are mostly all under 18 months.

[thecrazyisout]

At what age do you guys start having them put up a toy before getting a new one? Mine are mostly all under 18 months.

since i am pretty new to this, I would like to know this too. I would guess when they begin to really understand picking up...my son 20 months and other toddler 18 month, help "pick up", but we work on things like getting puzzles out together, then putting them away. I don't expect them to understand what the preschoolers do. But maybe I am not giving them enough credit......

[daycare]

my DCK are really good about cleaning up, but my own son is alittle bit different. I am going to try this tonight.

I am not a push over. Its one toy out at a time and you dont play with anything else until its picked up.

[QualiTcare]

i don't think it's a bad idea....

i do think that effort/energy might be better spent (with quicker results) in stopping them when you see them put the toy down someplace other than where it belongs. after a few times of that, they'll get the point.

[ninosqueridos]

i don't think it's a bad idea....

i do think that effort/energy might be better spent (with quicker results) in stopping them when you see them put the toy down someplace other than where it belongs. after a few times of that, they'll get the point.

I'm starting to do this, too - sort of like catching them before they actually move onto another toy/thing/activity.

If I "put away" everything they left in the wrong place, I'd need a whole other daycare room to "house" everything until the next day. Certain kids need constant reminders (ages 24mo, 25mo, and sometimes my 3's, too).

[kidkair]

I tried this way for a little bit but then it dawned on me as to how unrealistic it was to have them do something I don't do. I set things down all the time to go do something else and get back to it later. I let them play with any and all toys and we just clean up before eating, before going outside, and before going home. I also spontaneously have them clean up when they get overly rowdy/loud/whinny as something else for them to focus on. My kids are 2 and 3 but they all learned how to clean up as soon as they started dumping toys. For us clean up time is so routine that the really young kids catch on and I've had a 10 month old help out and then crawl to the hallway for hand washing. Routines really work nicely.

[thecrazyisout]

I tried this way for a little bit but then it dawned on me as to how unrealistic it was to have them do something I don't do. I set things down all the time to go do something else and get back to it later. I let them play with any and all toys and we just clean up before eating, before going outside, and before going home. I also spontaneously have them clean up when they get overly rowdy/loud/whinny as something else for them to focus on. My kids are 2 and 3 but they all learned how to clean up as soon as they started dumping toys. For us clean up time is so routine that the really young kids catch on and I've had a 10 month old help out and then crawl to the hallway for hand washing. Routines really work nicely.

This is my normal method, but the boys seem to take FOREVER when they are cleaning up and I am on top of them feeling like a nagging you now what. I am really exhausted and I know of many people who are really successful with the rule you take a toy out, then put it away after you are finished. So, maybe it depends on the person and the children you care for....we will see I guess.

[kidkair]

This is my normal method, but the boys seem to take FOREVER when they are cleaning up and I am on top of them feeling like a nagging you now what. I am really exhausted and I know of many people who are really successful with the rule you take a toy out, then put it away after you are finished. So, maybe it depends on the person and the children you care for....we will see I guess.

I get it. I dealt with that for a little while too. I just had no success since I didn't see the reasoning behind it. Now even if every single toy is out they can pick up the rooms in 5 minutes. I keep toys to a minimum so that helps. Here's some other methods that worked for me to 'train' my kids to pick up quickly and nicely.
I threaten to take toys away if they don't pick up fast enough. I put taken away toys in clear closed boxes. I have found that they don't realize toys are missing if removed from their sight. At one point every toy they had access to was in a box. The rest of the week they were only allowed to play with one bin of toys at a time. They learned from that to pick up fast.
Another method that works for me is having a clean up chant (We will all clean up our room (can substitute anything such as: yard, toys, blocks), clean up our room, clean up our room. We will all clean up our room until it's all clean.)
If they are competitive you can race them to each toy or have them race each other.

[countrymom]

I do try and catch it before they play with something else, like they leave the train tracks out and go play with the cars in another room, well the trains need to be picked up. Also, I have clean up time several times during the day, I have it just before morning snack/library time/outside time and just before lunch and just before nap. I find they are so use to it, I make it routine and they are really good about it. Did you say your kids are younger, i have a 5 yr old yesterday give me attitiude because he had to clean up, well its because at home he never has to clean up and he was mad because he had to here.

[thecrazyisout]

One thing I need to be creative with is how to say things. Like I used to say, when you are finished with a toy, then you need to pick it up...well the four year old say.....I'm not finished with it...then it sits there all day. So, now I am saying....when you leave the toy, you need to put it away where it belongs.

[MissAnn]

My kids have to put away manipulatives and art supplies that are in my living room and kitchen. I have a small rug for each child and every activity must be done at a rug or at the table. If a child wants to play with someone at their rug, the need to ask. If they child doesn't want to, he will say that he wants to play by himslef right now. Sometimes he/she will say.....we can play together later. The playroom can get a little messier, but I do have times they stop and clean up.