Getting Toddlers to Help Around the House

One of the most common complaints from parents with toddlers is that their toddlers don’t clean up. With their curious minds and nonstop energy toddlers are into everything. By the end of the day your house looks like 50 kids had a play date instead of just one. However, there is some good news, toddlers can learn at an early age to pick up after themselves and even have a little fun while doing it. The earlier they start cleaning up and helping around the house, good cleaning habits will grow as your little one gets older.

One of the most important habits is to have a routine for cleaning up.

• Try giving them a 5 minute warning that clean up time is coming. Have a verbal cue to let your child know that it is clean up time. A favorite one used by teachers is the clean up song, you can make up one on your own or use the old time favorite. Singing will help pass the time while your child is picking everything up and putting it away.
• To make things even easier for your child, get your child’s things organized. It makes it much more fun when your little one knows where everything goes. One of the best ways to do this is to purchase some inexpensive bins and label them.Try taking a picture of the toys that belongs in the bin and place it on the outside so all your child has to do is to match the toy to the picture. If you have older children, place a card with the name of the toy written on it. This will help with their reading skills.

Remember to keep a positive attitude. Your little one may not get all the toys back where they should go, but they did clean up, so offer them positive encouragement for even the littlest effort. Your toddler will be so pleased with their accomplishment.