Cleaning up Toys After Play

When my daughter's friends come over they help her clean up before they leave. I also make my daughter help clean up when we go to their house. Throwing toys all over the place is different than when you have company over for dinner or something. However, I don't automatically expect other people's kids to clean up when they're over. I appreciate it if they do because I think it's the right thing to do, but if the parent isn't raising them that way then I can't really expect it of them.

I think kids should be allowed to play freely as well, and I don't think picking up as you go works, or makes any sense for that matter. I just think that at the end of the day, all the kids should at least make sure the toys are in the toybox, and the games are back where they go. A play room is for playng and as long as it is not trashed all the time and kids are having fun, mission accomplished. My kids know that even though we aren't big sticklers for everything in it's place, some people are, so we have to clean up before we leave.

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with teaching children to put the toys away after playing with them. It's good manners they will carry with them. I can see your kids doing mabye the leftover stuff, but other kids should also help clean up. I always help when I visit someone's house, I was just brought up that way. It's either that, or deal with your kids cleaning your house alone and also dealing with how others rule on their house if they go over, know what I mean?

I also have a hard time gettin kids to clean up after playing here, sometimes my kids don't mind doing it, somedays they get really irritated. All depends on the person and the mood.

I think the kids should all help clean up as they go along. It teaches them social responsibility and team work. I don't have big play sessions like that yet. But anytime I offer a snack, we do clean-up first. I set the loud kitchen timer for 5 minutes. When it sounds, we can quit. But a lot of times, my kids keep cleaning up for a few more minutes, because they can see that they are almost done. Peer pressure and practice will draw in some of the slackers. Above all, you should not get stuck doing it. Imagine when the kids are 15 and 17.

We have it that if you take it out that you put what you got out. We do that at home and at friends and family's homes. That way toys are being put away and no one is cleaning someones else mess. But there are days that my boys have to clean the play room when they didn't make the mess.

How do your kids feel about picking up the toys that they played with at others peoples homes?

Also your guest should respect your home, even if they don't clean up after themselfs. They should at least have the kids pick up what they played with. Your guest are not cleaning your house but showing responbility.

I am a mother of 3 children & I make all 3 of them clean up all of their toys together. I tell them that I don't care who took out or played with what, that the important part is getting the job done.
When your children go to preschool or kindergarten they will be expected to clean up with the other children in the area they played in (block area, housekeeping, etc.)whether they played with everything or not.
When I have other children over to play, I find out when their parents are going to pick them up & I allow about 1/2 hour before that for "clean up" time.
I konw it's not easy, but it helps children to learn to take some responsibility for their actions. Sometimes they may even learn to clean up when they are done with something so there is less of a mess at "clean up" time.
I also like to make it a game as to who can get cleaned up the fastest (provided the are is cleaned up & not just toys shoved in messily. Or set a timer & see if they can clean up before it goes off.
Children never like to clean up--- but now my 13 year old folds the laundry for me---without me asking her to! She puts it on her "to do" list every week!
Aslo, my 9 & 13 year old put out the garbage & recycling every week. I doubt they'd never have been able to do so without a lot of prodding if I never had them put their toys away, at home & everywhere else they've played.
My 3 year old goes to preschool & I remind her about "clean up time" at home just like in school.
So sorry to go on, but I can tell you with 3 kids, it doesn't take much to make a messy house!

I agree with everyone else that it's house rules and to each his own. Everyone is different. Let me ask you this? Do you see yourself going into someone's home and eating a huge meal, leaving your dishes on the table and walking away and not helping with the clean up? Some people wouldn't think twice about it but I myself could never do that. I feel that if my host/hostess were kind enough to do all cooking and preparing the least I can do it help with the clean up by, at the very least, cleaning up my dishes and putting them by the sink.

I'm just using this as an example because as adults we normally don't go into someone's house and play with their toys. I make my son help clean up wherever he plays even if it's just a few toys. I also ask the children that come to our house to play to help clean up. My son has to clean up his toys each night before he goes to bed so there are never toys laying around that the kids didn't pull out together. Cleaning up together helps kids work together as a team, to learn teamwork. It also helps them learn a sense of community and I believe that it will help them later in life when they go to work and need to work with a group to get a job done. At the end of the day would the boss at a construction site care whose scrap metal is lying around? No, of course not, he would just want it cleaned up.

Maybe you could have each child pick up a certain number of toys depending on how long they've played. If you don't care if the room is spotless then that would probably work. Another suggestion, label everything so kids know where stuff goes. Otherwise you'll find it in the wrong places. If you think about it, a child may say to you "but I didn't pull out any toys" but really if the child is playing with toys that are laying out on the floor he would have had to pull it out had it not been out. It's irrelevant, they played and now they need to help clean up. Teamwork.

I am like you and do not usually make the guests help, but when they are at others I expect them to help clean up if thats how they do it. I have told my kids that every parent has rules and if they expect help and you enjoy playing there-then you do it whether you think its fair or not. Same at home...I dont care who played with it...if you like having this many toys I expect help putting them away....it is a matter of manners not fairness if that makes sense.

YOU should do what you feel is right with your boys.
At that age just getting them to help is great. As for guests, that's YOUR business.

Besides, you may have a certain place or way you put your kids toys away, adding another set of hands may lead to loosing parts to games/toys.

If you are offering snack, make them clean up after that.

Hope this helps

I think however you choose to clean your house is right. However, if your children are in someone elses home, they need to clean up before they leave. All of the children should be helping too. It doesn't matter if they got it out or not as long as they all work together and put it all away.

Clearly what you are doing is working for your family. I wish I could just leave a mess, but can't.

When my son was small, I would have him help clean up before we would leave a friends house. Their parents would do the same at my house. They should help. You don't want to show your kids to give respect and not expect the same do you?

honestly, i think it should be house rules. if you don't expect your guests to clean up, that's fine, but if other people do want their guests to clean up, then everyone should.
it's the same with other rules... if you let your kids jump on your couch, would you let them jump on other people's? if you let people wear their shoes in your house, would you keep yours on at someone else's house who wants everyone to remove them at the door?
It's just common courtesy, i think. :-D