Encouraging children to tidy up

[janey81]

How do you encourage children to tidy up, when I ask I just get told no don't want to, I have explained when you have tidied up then you can do etc but they are not interested, tried to make it into a competition but again no luck, any other ideas?

Jane

[grindal]

No suggestions, but do persevere asking. DS1 has recently started to help tidy up (he is 4) and apparently at playgroup last week he told his friend he could only come and play at our house in the afternoon if he helped tidy up before he went home!
He has spent years ignoring my asking him to help!

[samkeddy]

i have two 2yr old girls and a 1yr old girl and jst made up a cleanin up song with their names in it, i get on with tidyin while singin the song and they come and join in they love it, they tidy and sing now without me even suggestin it sometimes! Dont no if that will be any help!

[mushpea]

when they say 'no i dont want to' the i tell them that they dont play with anything else till they have tidyed up or if its home time then no story till they tidy up, if they dont do it and start to get another toy out then i stop them and put the new toy back and say when you put the other stuff away then you can have this out. stick to your guns and they will soon get the message.

[sandy64]

we sing tidy up and put away song great fun and works most times lol

[suzyblue]

I get them to help me tidy up first and really praise the ones that help then as they get older they tend to start doing it by themselves. If they learn the routine of tidying up before something else comes out they get quite good at it. I have a two year old now that doesnt ask or help himself to any new toys until he has filled the box with the toys on the floor.

[sarah707]

We sing a song and do it together.

Sometimes it takes a while for new children to get involved, but we get there in the end

[little_gems]

I do all of the above but also make it into a game.

Who can pick up the most piece first. (dont do with all of the children as it can cause more arguments)

[Gizmo]

I have started a tidy up song and am even trying to get the los involved, I have a ball pool and every time the lo picked up a ball and put it back in he got a big clap he loved this and picked them all up while I sat on the chair and watched

[sarak31]

Play tidy time music - kids know when they hear this it's tidy time - and reward with stickers - I have found even the coolest children and older ones like to get stickers!! One to take home and one for their charts (a photo of themselves on the wall where they put their stickers). For most resistant I have had a competition where whoever has the most stickers at the end of the week gets to sit out of a tidy time -works amazingly!!

[Tealady]

For most resistant I have had a competition where whoever has the most stickers at the end of the week gets to sit out of a tidy time -works amazingly!! [/QUOTE]

Love it!!

[watgem]

I use the Barney the dinosaur tidy up song, I give a 5 minute warning to tidy up, I hand them toys and tell them where to put them(little ones) and we try and beat the timer(cheap egg timer)you often have to be more persistant than they are in a fair and calm way