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5 Ways To Get Your Toddler To Cleanup Easily - Cleanup Activities For Toddlers
Clean up activities for toddlers
The nice thing is – we really don’t have to make a big deal, fantastical game about cleaning up.
Instead, we can focus on getting specific and chunking it down.
This is by far, what has been most effective here at my daycare and preschool, and with my own twins.
Let me break it down…
‘Help cleanup’ is vague. And, a lot of the time, all those tiny little pieces of toys can be overwhelming because they look like millions and millions of things all over the floor! For us and for our toddlers, this can look like an overwhelming task. And, when we are overwhelmed, we often avoid it…
So, instead of just saying ‘let’s clean up’ you can try:
1. “clean up break! You grab all the trains and I’ll grab all the blocks – go!”
Turn on their favorite song and race to get it done. “Fast! It’s so quick when we do it together to this song!”
Do this throughout the day to tidy things as you go – a balance of play and putting things away.
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2. “We play and we put away” – make a rule and repeat throughout the day so it becomes habit
Sure, cleaning up can turn your race-car-whirlwind toddler into a sluggish-turtle, but if you build cleaning up into your routine and it becomes a habit, they will do it on their own soon enough or, without a fuss when prompted.
Like all of the things during toddlerhood, practice and repetition is key. This is what builds a habit.
My daycare and preschool is Montessori-inspired and when it comes to play spaces, toddlers play then put away. We follow that philosophy here – “we play then put away”. Maybe not always, perfectly after each toy they play with but, I regularly remind them of this rule and help them put away.
I also help them recognize why putting away is so important – “so we know where all of our cars are when we want to play with them”, “so we don’t trip and stub our toes on the blocks oweee”, “so we have all the puzzle pieces ready to do the puzzle next time!”
It’s just what we do here, and after a few months, it becomes a habit, part of their ‘play flow’ and my ‘managing the play flow’ if you will haha.
Sometimes, we even sing a song when we are cleaning – “This is the way we clean up our toys, clean up our toys, clean up our toys. This is the way we clean up our toys every time we play.”
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3. “Ok, time to get ready for snack! Everyone grab 12 things and put them back!”
This is one of those super simple clean up activities for toddlers – announce what is coming up next and what they need to do before moving on to the next thing. This is very specific and engages their counting which can be fun, attention-grabbing and keep their focus.
No need to even say ‘clean up’, just specific directions on what to do before getting something they are excited about (snack!). This works for going outside, heading to the park, heading off for bedtime stories etc…
Tip: announcing something they look forward to next will be most motivating. For example, instead of saying “ok, time to clean up so we can go outside.” Try: “outside time! Let’s grab 12 things and put them away, then outside!” or “ok time to clean up and get ready for bed.” Try: “ok! bedtime stories next! Grab all the blocks and throw them in the bin, then stories!”
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4. “Water play in 5 minutes! If you want to do water, then grab all the green dinosaurs and magnet tiles and put them back! I’ll do red!”
Using simple “if, then” statements can move you along through the days with your toddler so smoothly, in a simple, fair and collaborative way.
Call out some colors and mention what you are going to do to help, too. At this age, teamwork is a great motivator! Things can get done a lot quicker too. “We are the best team! Look at us! You’ve got green and I’ve got red! Getting ready for water play!”
Other Great Activity Ideas For The Bathroom:
5. “Ok, Jake’s in charge! What am I going to put away? And what are you going to put away? Let’s do it!”
Put them in charge! Make them the leader! Give them the power!!
Does your toddler love to do things themselves? “No I do it!”
Does your toddler like to choose their own cup or want to buckle their own seat belt?
Lean into that and put them in charge of choosing what you and they pick up before moving on to the next part of your day.
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cleaning up isn’t always fun but it’s something we all do in this family
At the end of the day, you and your toddler are a team and everyone in your family is on that team. And everyone helps clean. And we can make cleaning less of a ho-hum, horrible thing in this family – that’s the mindset.
It’s not you versus them. That mentality only creates more stress, resentment and frustration.
Work together for quick cleanups in the toddler years, use these easy clean up activities for toddlers to help you keep some structure and control around the ongoing flow of play and straightening up (remember – be specific and chunk it down), and see which of the five your toddler responds to best.
Read this next:
3 Reasons Why Your Toddler Won’t Poop On The Potty & What You Can Do About It
For more toddler years support, you can read all my parenting blog posts, here.
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