It's a fact of life that toddlers just love MESS. Whether it's whilst eating, playing outside, or even just getting every single toy out to look at once, we've all experienced the explosion that is a toddler playtime!
Then at the sound of a hopeful "It's time to tidy up!", they're off at the speed of light. So, here's my best tips on how to encourage toddlers to help with tidy up time - and lay the foundations for a good tidying routine from an early age.
1. Set the scene
As an adult I'm pretty sure that if you were in the middle of something 'important', and someone asked you to stop with no warning, you might be less than impressed..? With that in mind, always give your child a time warning, so they know what's coming and are able to finish what they're doing.
If you have a sand timer, it might come in handy here!
2. Use a tidying up song
After the time is up, it's time to launch into song! 🎵🎵 Either singing yourself, or putting the same song on your phone/speaker each time so your child know what to expect. Bonus if you manage to get all the tidying up done in the duration of the song!
Our song 'The Tidy Race' is great for this - it's only 2 minutes 42 seconds long, and helps with point number 3...
3. Make it into a game
Reduce grumbles by making tidying up into a game. Good game options are "Who can find something red to tidy away?" "Who can find all the Duplo pieces first?" or "How fast can we tidy up?" In The Tidy Race, we become vehicles, revving our engines with a fun countdown between verses.
4. Join in
Demonstrate what a fun activity it is (😂) by getting down to it with them.
5. Little and often
Keep on top of the tidying up throughout the day it can help it not be such a daunting task... and help keep the cooperation rate high!
Got any more tips to share..? Let us know below! ⬇️