Getting your Twins to Clean Up

I would like to have my children learn that they need to clean up when they are done playing with their toys. I've tried this, but not regularly. And, I've found that my DD is good at doing this, although not all the time, and DS is not. So, this got me thinking:

1. When could I expect both of them to clean up their toys?

2. Typically, do girls pick up on this first (pun intended ) and then boys? Or could it be my boy is simply trying to show his independence by not doing what he is asked?

3. When is the best time to fit this in our routine - before nap and bed time? After they are finished with one toy prior to moving on to the next (seems highly unlikely that this will happen, but one mom told me that's what she does with her kids)?

4. Any tips in helping them to clean up when asked?

Thanks~
Cindy

 

I don't think it's a gender thing, just a personality thing. We used to make a game out of it. Who can go fastest? Who can find all the legos? Who can get the most in the toybox? We started out helping them, picking up toys and walking with them to the toybox. Now mine are awesome at clean up and know to pick them up without being asked (most of the time )

We had them pick up before naps and bedtime. Much more than that and all they do is pick up. There are some things that need to be cleaned up before more toys come ut. Legos, play dough, their coloring stuff, etc.

 

I find that I really have to direct mine - even at 3.5. They will miss toys directly in their line of sight. We also make a game of it. Usually only before bedtime for us.

 

I don't think gender makes a difference to how well they tidy up-maybe your son has worked out that if he is slow his sister will do it for him!
We generally tidy up at the end of the day (before dinner). The only time I might get them to tidy up one toy before getting out another is if both are things with lots of small pieces, or if they have gotten out so many toys you can't walk around easily. Sometimes they like to go back to things or play with different things together-like building something with lego for their farm animals-and they can't do that if they're only allowed one toy at a time.
I agree that direction is important to help them tidy up, I give each of them a specific thing to tidy and then another until everything is done. When they were as young as yours are I would put the box/container next to the toys that needed to go in it to make it easier for them. Also I always thank them for helping and say well done for doing a good job.

 

,I agree it is not a gender thing... more a personality thing. For us, all boys... it helps when I start singing the Barney song... "Clean up clean up everybody everywhere, clean up clean up everybody do your share... " more fun = more cleanup however you can get it to be fun...

 

We have a few clean up songs, besides the Barney song. Their current fave, sung to the tune of The Farmer and the Dell goes like this:

It's time to clean up toys.
It's time to clean up toys.
Hurry up, let's pick it up,
It's time to clean up toys.

My daughter is MUCH better at picking up toys than my son. For us, the factor that has helped the most, is teaching the kids that everything has a place. We have lots of tubs, bins, and shelves, and they know EXACTLY where everything goes. We used to pick up after each activity. Now we just clean up before naptime and before Daddy comes home from work (although we do clean up certain toys right after we use them, like megablocks, puzzles, etc.). And DS usually is not much of a help.

 

We sing the Barney clean up song and clean up at nighttime just before bath time and bed time. Katelyn is much better at helping out than Blake. With Blake I usually have to hand him a toy and tell him to go put it in the basket.

We started doing this around 18 months and do it every night. I think the key is to be consistent. If you keep at it-- they will get then hang of it and know they are expected to help.

 

Ditto not gender but personality! I sing a song "its clean up time its clean up time, time to put the toys away' not sure where i got it from...maybe gymboree when dd was a toddler? anyways, josh is much better at cleaning up than Zach. but i make sure BOTH so help some. I started around 18 months and it is getting better and better. consistency is the key!! HTH B)