Cleaning up Wars

They are a little young to just clean up on their own. My boys didn't really get it until they were in school where it is strictly enforced. The pointers from the Kindergarten teacher
1. Don't let them take out too much, just 1 or 2 containers. This makes it easier for them when it's time to clean up.
2. Designate a clean up song/songs.
3. Make it a game like beat the timer or see who can pick up the most, practice counting at the same time.
4. YOU have to be involved in the clean up process.

The last one is a biggie until they get a little older. Good luck!

I finally decided after several years of not being able to walk through my kids rooms that I was going to limit the number of toys in there toy box. I only give the 8-12 toys agt a time for there toy box. When they get tired of them they can rotate them for the toys I have in storage. I will even let them put a toy in storage and take one out. It works wonderfully. I wish I had done it years ago.
C.

You could make a game out of it. Set the timer for 1 minute and tell the kids they have to hurry to pick up as much as they can for the minute (or however long you think it would take). If they seem to have worked as fast as they can, they get a cookie (or a treat they wouldn't normally have). If it seems like one worked much harder than the other, give that child an extra reward such as picking out the vegtable for dinner the next day.
S.

I have three kids and that means lots of stuff laying around, it drives me crazy. The kids and I do what we call walk throughs, everyone walks through the house mainly the living areas and everyone has to pick up what is theirs and put it away. It does save me from figuring out what belongs to who, and the house does look better without all their little items sitting EVERYWHERE.

I like the game suggestion also. What I have found to be effective so far with my 2 year olds and in the classroom (I am an elementary school teacher) is clean up songs. There are a couple I use. I started using them with my twin girls when they were 16 mos. old. Its a great way to transition from play to clean up and when I start singing the song they know what they should be doing and now that they can talk they sing along. In fact, typically at least once a day they will start singing and cleaning up all on their own. I also stay with them and either help or supervise. I read in a Parenting magazine that if you ask them to clean up all the time and then walk away, they will stop or protest to get you to come back and the struggle begins.

Here's the lyrics to the two I use, you can make up the tune. There are also a couple videos on You Tube and lots of others if you google "clean up songs for children".

#1 "Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere, clean up , clean up, everybody do their share"

#2 "It's clean up time, it's clean up time, put your things away, find a friend to help, find a friend to help, put your things away."

Good Luck!