Sunshine is 19 months old. In my house, that’s time to start learning to pick up and put away your own toys. The problem with this is that babies don’t come out of the womb knowing how to be neat and tidy. You’ve got to teach them how to do it, but you can’t just tell them how to do a task. You have to show them. Here is the method that I use to show my toddler how to pick up her toys:
- Make it routine: Sunshine has to pick up all of her toys at certain times of the day. In the White house, toys are picked up before lunch, supper, and bedtime. The theory here is that they will get used to picking up their toys at these times during the day, and it will become automatic (insert maniacal laughter here).
- Do it with her: The single most effective way to teach a toddler anything is to show them how to do it, and then do it with them. We still haven’t mastered this skill yet, and so I am still picking up my daughter’s toys. The difference is that she is helping me do it. Hopefully someday I will be able to give instructions and she will follow them, but that day is not today.
- Use lots of praise: This goes without saying. My Grandma used to tell me that I would catch more flies with honey than I would with vinegar. The same appiles here. If you tell a toddler that she is doing a good job and make a big deal about the good stuff, it will encourage them to keep doing it.
I actually use this method of teaching for a lot of things. I find that it works really well on my daughter. Sunshine really thrives on routine and praise, and she loves doing things with Mama. We do this with cleaning, hygine (we brush our teeth together), and many other things.
So, now it’s your turn. How do you teach your toddler new things?
Linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT family.
No related posts.
We have races. Who can clean up faster, my son or daughter? Can my daughter clean up faster than she did last time? Can we get the whole room picked up before the end of the song?
Offering up the next thing we’ll do when clean up is done works, too. Clean up so we can go have snack time! Clean up so we can read bedtime stories!
I also have labeled bins with the word and picture of the toy that goes in. Trains go in the train bin, dinosaurs in the dino bin, blocks in the blocks bin, etc. It makes it easy for them to know what goes where.
We sing the clean up song. We pick up pretending we’re different animals. My son especially likes to be a T Rex while he picks up – tucking his elbows in and stomping and roaring.
Making it a game is the best method I’ve found.
What a good idea! I wish that I’d thought of it. Right now, all of Sunshine’s toys go in one box (if the box is too full we choose one to give away), but all of the other stuff is really good. You can bet that I’ll be “borrowing” your idea. Thanks!
This is a good tip. I’m wondering how I can get ds started on cleaning up, and it’s never too soon.