Getting Kids To Clean Up!

     "If I've told my kids once, I've told them a hundred times, to clean up their rooms." STOP! There's your first mistake. Tell them once, let them know you will only tell them once, and then if they don't clean up, let them know there WILL be a consequence, one that you have decided on before hand, and one that's fair. Then you MUST be consistent and follow through. If you don't, you are reinforcing their negative behavior and telling them that they don't have to pick up, that nothing will happen if they don't, or that you may even do it for them! You are training them to NOT listen to you, or to do the exact opposite of what you really want them to do.

     This is not going to happen in my classroom. In some cases, I have to break those bad habits to the shock and dismay of my students. Picture this: My students are absolutely thrilled when Mrs. Henderson shows them the mini Toys R Us™ she has tucked away neatly in various colored tubs. They anxiously await the time when they can FINALLY play with all these wonderful treasures. They can hardly contain their excitement. They agree that the rules are very simple.

Rules:

1. You can only play with ONE tub at a time. (No problem.)
2. When you’re done with that tub simply put the stuff back into the tub, put it back where you got it from, then you may choose another one. (A no brainer!)
3. When the timer rings simply STOP playing and help pick up the tub of toys that you were playing with. (That’s easy.)
4. When the 2^nd timer rings everything should be picked up and children should be ready to go on to some other fun activity. (Yup! I got it.)
5. If you are done picking up your things please help a friend.

Consequences: Children repeat them twice!

1. Any tubby that is not picked up will not be able to be taken out the next time.
2. If there are more than 3 tubbies out after the timer rings everyone will lose 5 minutes of Free Play Time.

     Why then, EVERY year, on the very first day of school, do I have a zillion tubbies out? Mr. Nobody has taken them out, no body has put them away, no body has stopped playing when the timer has rung, so that when timer #2 goes off we have a huge mess. I get the children’s attention and they repeat the consequences for me. Some of them don’t even look too sad. I think they truly don’t think I’ll follow through with the consequences.

     I set a third timer and let them know that because they are now having to clean up, they have wasted 5 minutes that I had planned for a really fun game that they won’t get to play. I had planned the really fun game for them. Whose fault is it that they don’t get the really fun game? “Yes. Theirs.” What have they learned from this? Yes. To clean up when the timer rings and to not take out more than one tubby. Thank you. I know you’ll remember that next time.

     The next day, when it is Free Play Time, I say: “Oh I have some really fun new tubbies for you. I’m so excited. You’re just going to love these! ” Then I pause as I remember. “Oh dear, I forgot we don’t get toy tubbies today.” “Who can tell me why we don’t get toy tubbies today?” Someone will remember.

     I set the timer for 15 minutes. I tell them they can look at books or lay on mats. It’s a very long 15 minutes. Do you think that the next day when we have toy tubbies and the timer rings they are stopping and picking things up? Yes. And the ones who aren’t, are actually scolded by children who are, and reminded of the consequences! They are also more careful about taking one tub out. The children are more vigilant with each other too. It’s quite amazing.

      They aren’t perfect; and some of them need to be singled out for their own personal re-learning, but for the most part this initial lesson and then being consistent for the entire year works wonders.

      Try it at home. Set the oven timer. Give each of your children their own laundry hamper. Any toys that aren’t picked up go in mommy’s hamper. One of the reasons that I put things in tubs is that it’s easy for children to pick up, dump out, and put away. Everything stays neat and organized and it’s a breeze to sort if things get messy.

     I give my students 20 to 25 minutes to play and 5 to 10 minutes to clean up depending on the day and the tubbies that I’m allowing them to have out.

    During report card or conference weeks, I’ll often do assessments when children are doing free play. It’s a great time to observe children too, but it’s also a wonderful time to just sit on the floor and play with them.

      I have two clean up songs: I’ve done them so long I don’t know where I got them from so I don’t know who to give credit to.

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody every where.

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do their share.

     To the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Pick up, pick up, pick up toys.

All my little girls and boys,

Look around and you will see,

Stuff here and there that shouldn’t be. (Point at the stuff that you spy still not picked up.)

Pick up, pick up, pick up toys.

All my good  girls and boys! (Point to the ones picking up)

Click on the link  for a great poem about play being an important part of learning.

Click on the link for pictures of how I organize my toys in the tubs.