How to Get Your Kids to Pick Up - Quick Tips

Quick Tip 1:The 55-Gallon Metal Drum

"This idea was described to me by a woman I spoke with on the phone many years ago. She told me that picking up around her house had never been a problem. This resourceful mother kept a 55-gallon, metal drum in the garage, which was right next to her kitchen. Whenever she would find anything of her children’s that was out of place, she would simply put the items into the metal drum.

This procedure had become so routine with her four boys, that whenever one of the kids couldn’t find something of his, he would simply look in the drum. For example, her second oldest came running into the kitchen one day and exclaimed, “Mom, I can’t find my gym shoes. Are they in the drum?” “Yes,” was mother’s reply, and the incident was over. You say you don’t happen to have a 55-gollon drum handy or your kids couldn’t reach in there if you did? A large box will do fine."

Source: ParentMagic Newsletter by Dr. Thomas Phelan © 2008
Simple, straightforward parenting advice and helpful tips from Dr. Thomas Phelan's best-selling parenting programs.

Quick Tip 2: The Poor Kids Bag

Since my two little boys were 2 and 3, I taught them to clean up before going to bed, before going to preschool, before leaving for the evening or whenever we have guests.  Although I have had nannies part-time, full-time and babysitters, picking up toys was not one of their tasks. I really did not want to spend $10-$15/hr for a lady to pick toys when I really needed help everywhere in the house and with the kids in other ways.  My two boys learned that if they did not pick up the toys and I had to pick them up 2 things could happen (1) the toys would not be in their corresponding bins because I really would not know which toys go where, and (2) everything I would find on the floor meant that they did not care about and I could give it away to the poor kids.  So, whenever, they leave something behind or they throw me the "I don't want to pick up today," I simply grab my Poor Kids Bag, and start filling it up with toys. What's their reaction? They immediately starting doing cleaning up - always!

For this to work, you have to be firm about the Poor Kids Bag! It does happen every so often that they will tell me "yes, you can give this to the poor kids - I don't want it anymore." I love this because my Pook Kids Bags always has toys to give away always! 

Source: Moms Buzz's personal experience.

Try these two quick tips and let Moms Buzz readers if they work for you.  If you have other tips like this that have worked for you, please share them with us in the comments section.  Moms Buzz can always publish your ideas, if you so allow us.

Clean up and organization of toys belong to the kids!

- The Moms Buzz