Let's talk about making cleanup FUN

[Rainbow]

I'd love if everyone shared their creative ideas for making cleanup time fun and not negative. My 2.5 yr old is having some trouble in this arena.

One idea I had recently for the playroom [that is working wonders] is to make cleaning it an adventure. We made a treasure map... of their playroom. It takes them from one ''center'' in their playroom to another [i.e dress up trunk to the bookshelf] each detailed by its place in the room and a small photo. The idea is to help them focus on one center at a time... at the dress up one they look for all the dress up clothes and put them away. This makes it less overwhelming. At the final center, which is depicted by a big red X on their map, they will find their ''treasure''. The treasure is a decorated index card that can be reused. There are various ''rewards/treasures'' but most are fun things we try to do anyway like ''go to the parent resource center'' or ''bake cookies with mom'' or ''make a toy craft'' or ''do an art project'' things we do anyway, bjut they consider super special and appealing. Each day I can choose which treasure we have planned and I can always add more according to what I have to get done. For example I could write ''choose a new fish from the petstore'' or if that is something we have to do anyway. I'm sure you get he idea... I am really excited about it and it has worked amazingly well with my 4.5 year old. My 2 year old is sort of riding on the coat tails of her sister's enthusiasm.

Please share what other ideas have you employed in your home

[Rivka5]

When I was a kid, pretend games really motivated me at cleanup time. These were devised by my older sister, and usually involved Cinderella-like plotlines where the evil witch/cruel stepmother/mean orphanage director set me to work.

"If this bedroom isn't SPOTLESS by the time I come back, it will be bread and water for you for three days!" Then I'd scurry around cleaning while she would loom outside the door cackling and making loud comments about how she was tricking me with an impossible task. She would ALMOST come in and then be diverted by something... until I actually finished. Then the witch/stepmother/orphanage director would be loud in her chagrin, and some nice person would come along and change my fortunes. "Look at this poor little girl, how hard she works! Come home with me, and you can lounge around with your feet up while the servants bring you snacks! You'll never have to lift another finger!"

What can I say? I was a juvenile drama queen.

[Rainbow]

that is adorable, lol.

[luckylady]

Rivka - I must have been your older sister! LOL.

We do "missions" - "I have a mission for you! Put away your shoes!" or we race - "I bet I can put away all of these animals before you can!" (DD is competitive by nature) or we sing clean up songs.

[nwaddellr]

I find I have better luck with my 2.5 year old helping if I give him specific tasks. For example - "Oh, I see an orange domino over by the piano bench, will you get that for me?" Perhaps on the way, he'll find a couple more and bring them to me. I usually ask him to get the things I can't easily reach. He may not pick up much, but it's the things that are "harder" for me to get since I'd have to move to get them.

[mightymoo]

DD enjoys counting the objects as she puts them in. I count with her, letting her say the next number if she knows it, otherwise I fill it in. I'm surprised how much she really likes it - especially when we get to the 20's and up.

[Rainbow]

ooohhh... my kids are counters, they'd love that.

[LeAnnie]

This is a great thread. I'm going to try out these ideas..More, please!
All I have to contribute is that we have tried the drama approach, using Cinderella and little orphan Annie themes. Dd loves it and really gets into it. It was her own idea actually, we just play along.