How to help your Children Learn to Clean up after themselves

Living in a home filled with clutter is challenging for adults and children. It is vital for children to learn to pick up their toys from a young age. There are different strategies that can be useful in encouraging a child to pick up her toys.
Explain the importance of cleanliness
If your child is old enough, then talk to her about the importance of picking up toys. Ask her to come with reasons why it is so important. Some points you might go over include that toys will not get lost, toys won’t get broken, no one will trip, people will be able to come over the house, everything will look nice and so forth.
Set up a reward system
You can reward your child for good cleaning. The children can earn points or get stars on a star chart. You can let her wear a special good helper bracelet or ribbon. These can be tied to prizes for good behavior.
Do not allow the child to play with another toy until the old one is away
Be consistent about not letting your child play with one toy until the other is away. Say he or she can have only one toy out at a time.
Make sure there is a space for the toy
You need to make sure that your child is able to put away the toys. If the house is a mess and there really isn’t space for everything, your child won’t be able to put it away.
Put the toys in time-out
If a toy is left out, then put it into “toy jail.” Don’t let your child play with it for a certain amount of time and she may be more likely to put it away the next time.
Make it a game
You can make picking up toys fun. This works especially if the child is young and will not understand explanations. You can sing the cleanup song. You can have a race to see who can pick up the toys the quickest. You can even turn it into a dance.
Be a good role model
Your child might not bother picking up her toys if you leave things all over the house. Show that you pick up your things and make a big deal of it.
Show educational shows and read books
There are many books and shows that revolve around the importance of cleaning up toys. Look for one that is age-appropriate for your child.
There are a variety of strategies to teach children to pick up their toys. The earlier you start, the more chance the child will continue it as a habit and embrace it as she grows older.