Tips for Tots Tuesday: Clean Up

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

Do you get to the end of the day and find your house has become a huge disaster? The kids have thrown every toy they own to the four winds and then you find the remnants of afternoon snack ground into your kitchen floor. It can be an endless cycle that keeps you from enjoying your home once the children are in bed.

It is actually a studies fact that families who live in clutter are more frustrated with one another. In fact 75% of adults surveyed say they could live better lives if they could just keep their homes in order! (heard on a recent Focus on the Family radio show)

Let me tell you from experience, a home with children does not have to be filled with clutter. Life can be much less stressful with a few simple lessons learned. Here is the way things work in our house and I have to say I rarely have a mess on my hands due to Seth's toys.

Step 1: As soon as we could, we started teaching Seth about cleaning up his toys. When there was a bucket of toys to dump out, no problem, go ahead, dump it out. But when it was time to move on to another bucket or another toy, the first one had to get picked up. It seems so simple, but it takes time and practice for your kids to get the hang of it.

Step 2: Create a place for each toy to call it's own. Everything needs a home, especially your kids toys! We have two shelves created distinctly for Seth's toys in our living room. There are 10 cubes, three of them have pull out containers that allow for dumping small or miscellaneous toys. There are two shelves for books, one for those from the library, one for those we own. (Any two year old can be shown how to look for the label on the spine and know the difference.) There are two places that all cars, trucks, etc. get parked and the rest hold various toys. Each time we take something out, it is put back in the same place. Seth has learned this so well after a play date he now tells the other kids where to put things!

We have a large wall space to house this Ikea shelf but smaller options with cubes can be found at Target which are also very economical. Even an ice cream pail can be used to creatively and simply keep toys organized.

Step 3: Purchase containers that your children cannot open for small toys or toys with small parts that you may need to have more close control over. We have Seth's small cars/trucks, legos, crayons and art supplies all in totes such as this. That way he must ask to use them and I can direct him to a good location in order to have less mess.

Rubbermaid Revelations totes are great for kid-proof storage and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Step 4: Have a song or reminder phrase when you see things are getting out of control. We use the "Clean Up" song from time to time, but more often then not I walk through the room and see three or four different things Seth has going all at once and remind him that we need to do some picking up before we get anything else out. He agrees or lets me know which toys he needs to stay out for his "project" of the moment and the rest we put away.

Step 5: Have patience! Our children need us to teach them everything and at times this can be painfully boring, slow and frustrating to no end. But keep in mind, the moments you spend teaching them simple clean up skills today mean less cleaning up for you to get stuck with!

So now you see my true OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for those who were unsure) coming out, but I have to say. A little obsession with cleanliness goes a long way!

For more information on managing your home check these out:

500 Time Saving Hints for Every Woman

Helpful Tips for Your Home, Family, Shopping, and More

Emilie Barnes
Paperback

For almost a quarter of a century, Emilie Barnes has been giving homemaking and time management advice to women. Now she shares over 500 time-saving hints that will help you use your time more wisely, whether it's in shopping, cleaning, organization, finance, travel, or much more.

The Messies Manual

A Complete Guide to Bringing Order and Beauty to Your Home

Sandra Felton
Paperback

Messies Anonymous founder has been there and done that. Now she brings a new generation her updated and improved book The Messies Manual. With seven new chapters, this fully-revised classic will help you pay bills on time, enjoy spare time without feeling guilty, organize your activities, clean out your junk and more.