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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>New Toy Pickup Method....We'll See If It Works
thecrazyisout 10:01 AM 03-10-2011
Today I decided to try something new with my kids. My ultimate goal is get to the point where when they play with something, they put it back in the bin where it belongs...I have struggled with this because I am a push over and then at lunch or the end of the day they are wasting time picking up when we could be reading a book or something...
so here goes.....every time they leave something out and go to play with something else. I wait until they aren't looking or in another part of the house to pick it up and hide it. Then a while later when they would like to play with it again, they ask where it is, and I say " I don't know, maybe you lost it...did you put it back where it belongs after you left it?" They say no and have been looking for things all day. Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?
so here goes.....every time they leave something out and go to play with something else. I wait until they aren't looking or in another part of the house to pick it up and hide it. Then a while later when they would like to play with it again, they ask where it is, and I say " I don't know, maybe you lost it...did you put it back where it belongs after you left it?" They say no and have been looking for things all day. Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?
dEHmom 10:07 AM 03-10-2011
personally, the idea isn't such a bad idea itself, but I would not recommend saying they lost it.
AfterSchoolMom 10:16 AM 03-10-2011
I think I'd just say "It went away because it wasn't put away properly. We'll try again later/tomorrow".
thecrazyisout 10:21 AM 03-10-2011
Good thinking..I didn't like that myself either, but couldn't seem to come up with something that made sense......I will try that.
THANKS!
THANKS!
SandeeAR 10:56 AM 03-10-2011
At what age do you guys start having them put up a toy before getting a new one? Mine are mostly all under 18 months.
thecrazyisout 11:12 AM 03-10-2011
Originally Posted by SandeeAR:
At what age do you guys start having them put up a toy before getting a new one? Mine are mostly all under 18 months.
since i am pretty new to this, I would like to know this too. I would guess when they begin to really understand picking up...my son 20 months and other toddler 18 month, help "pick up", but we work on things like getting puzzles out together, then putting them away. I don't expect them to understand what the preschoolers do. But maybe I am not giving them enough credit......At what age do you guys start having them put up a toy before getting a new one? Mine are mostly all under 18 months.
daycare 11:16 AM 03-10-2011
my DCK are really good about cleaning up, but my own son is alittle bit different. I am going to try this tonight.
I am not a push over. Its one toy out at a time and you dont play with anything else until its picked up.
I am not a push over. Its one toy out at a time and you dont play with anything else until its picked up.
QualiTcare 11:17 AM 03-10-2011
i don't think it's a bad idea....
i do think that effort/energy might be better spent (with quicker results) in stopping them when you see them put the toy down someplace other than where it belongs. after a few times of that, they'll get the point.
i do think that effort/energy might be better spent (with quicker results) in stopping them when you see them put the toy down someplace other than where it belongs. after a few times of that, they'll get the point.
ninosqueridos 11:32 AM 03-10-2011
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
i don't think it's a bad idea....
i do think that effort/energy might be better spent (with quicker results) in stopping them when you see them put the toy down someplace other than where it belongs. after a few times of that, they'll get the point.
I'm starting to do this, too - sort of like catching them before they actually move onto another toy/thing/activity.i don't think it's a bad idea....
i do think that effort/energy might be better spent (with quicker results) in stopping them when you see them put the toy down someplace other than where it belongs. after a few times of that, they'll get the point.
If I "put away" everything they left in the wrong place, I'd need a whole other daycare room to "house" everything until the next day.
Certain kids need constant reminders (ages 24mo, 25mo, and sometimes my 3's, too).
kidkair 11:44 AM 03-10-2011
I tried this way for a little bit but then it dawned on me as to how unrealistic it was to have them do something I don't do. I set things down all the time to go do something else and get back to it later. I let them play with any and all toys and we just clean up before eating, before going outside, and before going home. I also spontaneously have them clean up when they get overly rowdy/loud/whinny as something else for them to focus on. My kids are 2 and 3 but they all learned how to clean up as soon as they started dumping toys. For us clean up time is so routine that the really young kids catch on and I've had a 10 month old help out and then crawl to the hallway for hand washing. Routines really work nicely.
thecrazyisout 01:59 PM 03-10-2011
Originally Posted by kidkair:
I tried this way for a little bit but then it dawned on me as to how unrealistic it was to have them do something I don't do. I set things down all the time to go do something else and get back to it later. I let them play with any and all toys and we just clean up before eating, before going outside, and before going home. I also spontaneously have them clean up when they get overly rowdy/loud/whinny as something else for them to focus on. My kids are 2 and 3 but they all learned how to clean up as soon as they started dumping toys. For us clean up time is so routine that the really young kids catch on and I've had a 10 month old help out and then crawl to the hallway for hand washing. Routines really work nicely.
This is my normal method, but the boys seem to take FOREVER when they are cleaning up and I am on top of them feeling like a nagging you now what. I am really exhausted and I know of many people who are really successful with the rule you take a toy out, then put it away after you are finished. So, maybe it depends on the person and the children you care for....we will see I guess.I tried this way for a little bit but then it dawned on me as to how unrealistic it was to have them do something I don't do. I set things down all the time to go do something else and get back to it later. I let them play with any and all toys and we just clean up before eating, before going outside, and before going home. I also spontaneously have them clean up when they get overly rowdy/loud/whinny as something else for them to focus on. My kids are 2 and 3 but they all learned how to clean up as soon as they started dumping toys. For us clean up time is so routine that the really young kids catch on and I've had a 10 month old help out and then crawl to the hallway for hand washing. Routines really work nicely.
kidkair 02:31 PM 03-10-2011
Originally Posted by thecrazyisout:
This is my normal method, but the boys seem to take FOREVER when they are cleaning up and I am on top of them feeling like a nagging you now what. I am really exhausted and I know of many people who are really successful with the rule you take a toy out, then put it away after you are finished. So, maybe it depends on the person and the children you care for....we will see I guess.
I get it. I dealt with that for a little while too. I just had no success since I didn't see the reasoning behind it. Now even if every single toy is out they can pick up the rooms in 5 minutes. I keep toys to a minimum so that helps. Here's some other methods that worked for me to 'train' my kids to pick up quickly and nicely. This is my normal method, but the boys seem to take FOREVER when they are cleaning up and I am on top of them feeling like a nagging you now what. I am really exhausted and I know of many people who are really successful with the rule you take a toy out, then put it away after you are finished. So, maybe it depends on the person and the children you care for....we will see I guess.
I threaten to take toys away if they don't pick up fast enough. I put taken away toys in clear closed boxes. I have found that they don't realize toys are missing if removed from their sight. At one point every toy they had access to was in a box. The rest of the week they were only allowed to play with one bin of toys at a time. They learned from that to pick up fast.
Another method that works for me is having a clean up chant (We will all clean up our room (can substitute anything such as: yard, toys, blocks), clean up our room, clean up our room. We will all clean up our room until it's all clean.)
If they are competitive you can race them to each toy or have them race each other.
countrymom 05:57 AM 03-11-2011
I do try and catch it before they play with something else, like they leave the train tracks out and go play with the cars in another room, well the trains need to be picked up. Also, I have clean up time several times during the day, I have it just before morning snack/library time/outside time and just before lunch and just before nap. I find they are so use to it, I make it routine and they are really good about it. Did you say your kids are younger, i have a 5 yr old yesterday give me attitiude because he had to clean up, well its because at home he never has to clean up and he was mad because he had to here.
thecrazyisout 06:07 AM 03-11-2011
One thing I need to be creative with is how to say things. Like I used to say, when you are finished with a toy, then you need to pick it up...well the four year old say.....I'm not finished with it...then it sits there all day. So, now I am saying....when you leave the toy, you need to put it away where it belongs.
MissAnn 08:25 AM 03-11-2011
My kids have to put away manipulatives and art supplies that are in my living room and kitchen. I have a small rug for each child and every activity must be done at a rug or at the table. If a child wants to play with someone at their rug, the need to ask. If they child doesn't want to, he will say that he wants to play by himslef right now. Sometimes he/she will say.....we can play together later. The playroom can get a little messier, but I do have times they stop and clean up.
MissAnn 08:26 AM 03-11-2011
Oh ya....and don't you just love the kids who hide at clean up time?
thecrazyisout 10:56 AM 03-11-2011
Originally Posted by MissAnn:
Oh ya....and don't you just love the kids who hide at clean up time?
Yeah, this one boy likes to "look" like he is picking up. He will walk around with a toy and make himself look busy...have no idea where he learned that, but he will be such a good employee when he grows up....Oh ya....and don't you just love the kids who hide at clean up time?
thecrazyisout 01:58 PM 03-11-2011
Originally Posted by thecrazyisout:
Yeah, this one boy likes to "look" like he is picking up. He will walk around with a toy and make himself look busy...have no idea where he learned that, but he will be such a good employee when he grows up....
Was this too negative to say????Yeah, this one boy likes to "look" like he is picking up. He will walk around with a toy and make himself look busy...have no idea where he learned that, but he will be such a good employee when he grows up....
kidkair 03:21 PM 03-11-2011
Originally Posted by thecrazyisout:
Was this too negative to say????
NO! It was a perfectly honest reflection of societies expectations for workers nowadays.Was this too negative to say????
nannyde 06:02 PM 03-11-2011
Here's my toy picking up method:
Nan says to Gorilla Biscuits: "Get ta cleanin"
Nan says to Gorilla Biscuits: "Get ta cleanin"
spud912 08:24 PM 03-11-2011
I make them clean up prior to doing another activity. For example, we do free play in the morning from 8:30-9:30 and then we go outside. They love going outside so they know the quicker they clean up, the sooner they can go outside. I also ensure that each child participates in cleaning up the items (especially the items they took out). I will delay a child from moving onto the next activity until he/she has cleaned up their share.
We also do a "Clean Up" song and they all sing along and know the drill when I start singing.
As far as the age, I had my daughter help pick up her toys at around 12 months old, but I used to help her pick up the majority to set a good example. She is almost 2 (23 months now) and she will pick up all of her toys, although she is still quite slow. It just takes a lot of patience! Some of my other kids get impatient and want to pick up her toys, but I make sure they understand that everyone has to do their share and pick up the items they took out.
We also do a "Clean Up" song and they all sing along and know the drill when I start singing.
As far as the age, I had my daughter help pick up her toys at around 12 months old, but I used to help her pick up the majority to set a good example. She is almost 2 (23 months now) and she will pick up all of her toys, although she is still quite slow. It just takes a lot of patience! Some of my other kids get impatient and want to pick up her toys, but I make sure they understand that everyone has to do their share and pick up the items they took out.
e.j. 02:28 PM 03-12-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
personally, the idea isn't such a bad idea itself, but I would not recommend saying they lost it.
Yeah, I learned the hard way that honesty is the best policy.personally, the idea isn't such a bad idea itself, but I would not recommend saying they lost it.
When my kids were young, we had a hard time getting them to pick up their toys. I was venting about it one day to my neighbor who also had a hard time getting her kids to pick up their toys until she came up with "The Toy Bug" idea. She told her kids the toy bug came out at night looking for toys that had not been put away. He would take any toy that was left on the floor and they would never see the toy again. She said ever since they heard about the toy bug, her kids always put their toys away before going to bed. Sounded good to me! I told my kids I had been talking to "M" next door and she had warned me about a bug called "The Toy Bug" that seemed to be wandering around the neighborhood taking toys that kids didn't care enough about to put away. My kids were very sincere when they told me they didn't want to lose any of their toys and they would be careful from now on about putting them away. That night at dinner, my son looked up and saw a huge bug on the screen door and shouted, "Oh, no! "The Toy Bug!!!" We calmed him down and explained that his toys would be safe as long as he picked them all up before he went to bed. (My dh and I couldn't believe our luck. We had never seen a bug like it, had no idea what it was and still, to this day, have never seen a bug like it! The timing couldn't have been better, though! lol) That night, toys were all picked up, the house looked great! My dh and I high-fived each other, thinking we had struck parenting gold.....until the kids started to freak out about going to bed because they were so afraid the toy bug was going to come into the house to get them! For two nights, they didn't sleep. It got so bad, we finally had to explain that we had just made the story up and that it was just a game "M" played with her own kids to get them to pick up their toys so we thought we'd try it, too.
After that, our kids learned a new word: Confiscated. Worked just as well as "The Toy Bug" but without all the drama. You live and learn! Oh.....and we play "I Spy With My Little Eye" when I want the day care kids to pick up their toys. The kid who spies the toy, puts it away. Works well and teaches the younger kids their colors, shapes, etc. (I spy with my little eye a toy that is blue and has round wheels on it....."
Hunni Bee 04:38 PM 03-12-2011
Being that I work in a center and in the 3/4's room, we dont have a whole lot of individual "toys"...we have sets of things in every center (it encourages sharing and cooperative play, and it eliminates fighting over a certain toy). But clean up can be hell if I allow certain things to go on...so I have a few rules.
1. No dumping. They have to use from out of the bin.
2. Use from no more than two bins at a time, unless they ask and they are obviously playing with the stuff, not just making a mess.
3. When they move to another area, they have to clean up. Correctly, not just throw things in random containers. No exceptions on this one. They can ask me for help, but if they try to get me to do it all, I'll say, "You must be too tired to clean up. I'll finish this, and you can go rest at your table for a while." Usually changes their tune.
By the way, every bin is labeled with words and pictures, so they can basically clean up on their own. This works with the oldest 2's and up, but it may not work with younger kiddos.
1. No dumping. They have to use from out of the bin.
2. Use from no more than two bins at a time, unless they ask and they are obviously playing with the stuff, not just making a mess.
3. When they move to another area, they have to clean up. Correctly, not just throw things in random containers. No exceptions on this one. They can ask me for help, but if they try to get me to do it all, I'll say, "You must be too tired to clean up. I'll finish this, and you can go rest at your table for a while." Usually changes their tune.
By the way, every bin is labeled with words and pictures, so they can basically clean up on their own. This works with the oldest 2's and up, but it may not work with younger kiddos.
R&R 06:59 AM 03-14-2011
Originally Posted by thecrazyisout:
Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?
Honestly, do you want to model dishonesty or correct the problem?Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?
I wouldn't hide things from them. How would you explain that? Using imagined 'toy monsters' only contributes to an atmosphere of deception. You want them to learn a lifelong skill, not just to keep things clean.
I would suggest starting from scratch. Have the children take (or draw) pictures of the toys and tape them on the containers. Then they know where things go and can put them back. The next activity should not begin until everything is clean. Is the clean-up transition obvious? Do you sing, flash the lights or ring a bell? Do children have a warning?
Check out pages 3-5
http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200307/...Discipline.pdf
thecrazyisout 10:58 AM 03-14-2011
Originally Posted by R&R:
Honestly, do you want to model dishonesty or correct the problem?
I wouldn't hide things from them. How would you explain that? Using imagined 'toy monsters' only contributes to an atmosphere of deception. You want them to learn a lifelong skill, not just to keep things clean.
I would suggest starting from scratch. Have the children take (or draw) pictures of the toys and tape them on the containers. Then they know where things go and can put them back. The next activity should not begin until everything is clean. Is the clean-up transition obvious? Do you sing, flash the lights or ring a bell? Do children have a warning?
Check out pages 3-5
http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200307/...Discipline.pdf
This is helpful advice and I am glad you posted your suggestions...Honestly, do you want to model dishonesty or correct the problem?
I wouldn't hide things from them. How would you explain that? Using imagined 'toy monsters' only contributes to an atmosphere of deception. You want them to learn a lifelong skill, not just to keep things clean.
I would suggest starting from scratch. Have the children take (or draw) pictures of the toys and tape them on the containers. Then they know where things go and can put them back. The next activity should not begin until everything is clean. Is the clean-up transition obvious? Do you sing, flash the lights or ring a bell? Do children have a warning?
Check out pages 3-5
http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200307/...Discipline.pdf
dEHmom 11:16 AM 03-14-2011
My 6 yo asked me why the easter bunny on the cadbury commercials sounds like a chicken and lays eggs. I diverted real quick and left hubby to explain.
Should we explain to the kids that we are actually Santa Claus?
With my op about not telling them that "they" lost it was because it's not fair to blame them for losing something, when they didn't actually do it. It's lying yes, but it's completely different then just deceiving them a little with a white lie.
Should we explain to the kids that we are actually Santa Claus?
With my op about not telling them that "they" lost it was because it's not fair to blame them for losing something, when they didn't actually do it. It's lying yes, but it's completely different then just deceiving them a little with a white lie.
Candyland 12:37 PM 03-14-2011
Originally Posted by thecrazyisout:
Was this too negative to say????
haha - negative? LOL - it made me chuckle. Was this too negative to say????
Candyland 12:38 PM 03-14-2011
Originally Posted by thecrazyisout:
Today I decided to try something new with my kids. My ultimate goal is get to the point where when they play with something, they put it back in the bin where it belongs...I have struggled with this because I am a push over and then at lunch or the end of the day they are wasting time picking up when we could be reading a book or something...
so here goes.....every time they leave something out and go to play with something else. I wait until they aren't looking or in another part of the house to pick it up and hide it. Then a while later when they would like to play with it again, they ask where it is, and I say " I don't know, maybe you lost it...did you put it back where it belongs after you left it?" They say no and have been looking for things all day. Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?
So, how's it going with the picking up of toys??Today I decided to try something new with my kids. My ultimate goal is get to the point where when they play with something, they put it back in the bin where it belongs...I have struggled with this because I am a push over and then at lunch or the end of the day they are wasting time picking up when we could be reading a book or something...
so here goes.....every time they leave something out and go to play with something else. I wait until they aren't looking or in another part of the house to pick it up and hide it. Then a while later when they would like to play with it again, they ask where it is, and I say " I don't know, maybe you lost it...did you put it back where it belongs after you left it?" They say no and have been looking for things all day. Is this good? I think it will work after a while. I am a weenie sometime and then begin to feel bad...so any thoughts?
thecrazyisout 02:04 PM 03-14-2011
Originally Posted by Candyland:
So, how's it going with the picking up of toys??
Today was fantastic! Instead of saying they lost it, I was honest with them and said they lost their priviledges with their cars since they did not put them where back in their bin when they were finished with them. The rest of the day they put their toys away and I was willing to remind them a couple of times since they were trying. So, how's it going with the picking up of toys??
Tomorrow, I have penciled in the suggestion of the boys drawing pictures of the toys and we will tape them on the bin! I like this one since it will give the boys a bit of ownership and pride in the toys.
So far so good and the day went smoothly...there was a point where I felt like I could actually get part of the kitchen a little cleaner and get stuff ready for an activity with out feeling as stressed out...
Thank you for all of the advice!