Pick up Those Toys, Please

6 Strategies to Get Your Toddler to Clean Up

By Melinda Copp

Toddlers naturally love dumping, mixing and spreading their toys, or whatever else they can get their little hands on, all over the house. Although this can frustrate Mom and Dad, making messes is all part of growing up and figuring out how things work.

"Toddlers love to explore and play with everything around them," says Sharon Fried Buchalter, a clinical psychologist based in Boca Raton, Fla., and author of Children Are People Too: Unlocking the 8 Secrets to Family Happiness (People Too Unlimited, 2006). "This is great, because it shows great imagination and creativity. However, that creativity and exploration can lead to a huge mess around the house."

Although toddlers don't need any encouragement to dig in and make a mess, cleaning up takes a little coaxing. Teaching your toddler how to clean up after playtime not only keeps the house clean, but also develops good habits your little one can use for the rest of his life. To show your toddler the importance of cleaning up and, most important, to get him to pitch in, consider the following 6 strategies.

When it comes to building good habits, starting early is important – and learning how to clean up is no different.

"Children should begin helping parents clean up between 18 and 24 months," says Dr. Paul Donahue, child psychologist and author of Parenting Without Fear (St. Martin's Griffin, 2007). "But they will of course still need a good deal of prompting and help at that age."

Starting small means making the task simple at first, so your little one can grasp the cleanup concept.

Want to see more?

• Helping Hands: Chores for Little Helpers
• Valuable Life Lessons: Teaching Toddlers About Responsibility
• Toddlers Testing Limits: How to Minimize Conflicts and Maximize Cooperation
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