how do u get your 4 yr old to help clean up the toys she got out?

Question

My 4 yr old will olny help clean up if u r whatching her, as soon as u look away she will try to leave the room or hide to avoid cleaning up her toys.

Answer 1

First off, don't make it a battle, make it a game! The TV show Barney has the clean up song. I did this with my children when they were young. Instead of getting frustrated it turns out to be a fun time for the both of you to have together.

I might mention at 4 years old your child will have difficulty understanding what you are wanting if it is not detailed and might be running off because of confustion and expressing the frustration he/she has that way. It will be easier for your child to understand something more focused. Try saying something more direct. For example, "We are going to pick up blankets now." or "We are going to pick up the stuffed animals now." Try that instead of saying "Pick up your room!" or "Clean up now."

Hope is was helpful.

Answer 2

She's old enough to understand that if she plays with something she should put it back. Explain this to her carefully and explain it to her every time she plays. If she still doesn't want to pick up, tell her you'll count to three for her to clean up or the toys go in the trash. If she doesn't clean up, then put the toys in a trash bag and put them out as trash, even if you don't really throw them away, then just hide them and don't let her play with those toys. You might sacrifice a few toys, but she'll get your point.

Answer 3

Well tell her the story about The Toy Collector.
The Toy Collector comes at night a takes all the toys that have been left on the floor. Then tell her she better put her toys away just incase the toy collector comes.
She will obviously leave some toys out so you will have to take those toys away. In the morning when she goes to play with her toys and some are missing, she will think the toy collector took them. tell her he gave them to poor kids who love their toys.
She might get upset but I bet she picks up every toy from now on.
It worked for me. good luck.

Answer 4

Make it fun. A game. A race...anything that will be fun.

Do things like play peak-a-boo and check on her every few seconds.
Or have her run into the room pick up ten things and run back out and time her while she is doing it see if she can beat her previous time.

Also have her get into the habit of only taking a couple things out at a time and then putting them away before getting more out.Its a hard habit to get into but helps prevent clean up fights once in that habit!

Answer 5

Like everyone else said - make it fun so it can keep her attention - my daughter is 3 and i have a problem with her not putting her toys away too - when she doesn't listen when i tell her to put her toys away we sing the "Clean Up" song that we made up together, my daughter also likes doing everything i do so when she sees me picking up her toys (I make it known to her that i'm picking up "her" toys) then it gives her motivation because they're "hers". Throughout the day i also remind her that in order to get a toy out she will have to put back the toy she just played with.

Answer 6

when my daughter was a toddler , in the biting " phase", but old enough to understand, I told her if she bit me again she could not sit next to me when we watch T V . She didn't believe me and bit me again. So when it was time for her favorite T V show that we always watched together ,I made her sit on the other end of the sofa .That really hurt her feelings . Even though she cried about not being able to sit next to mommy , She remembered that feeling of isolation and didn't bite again .

So if you can find what is really important to a child that is what you use as a disciplinary tool . I say let deprivation be the motivation - it really works -

Please , Please don't let this be a reason for abuse please .
I hope that you use reason and logic in your chooses
Take away a toy or play time . Be gentle


Thank You

Answer 7

Try to play a the game that the one that picks the toys faster wins, you can play some music or dance around when is time to pick them up, just try to show her that is not a shore, but another fun activity.

Answer 8

Next time she will not clean up the toys, make sure she knows she will not be allowed to play with her favorite toys or she may even need to have another privelage taken away (tv, game) Every time she won't pick up the toys reinforce the rules. If you do not pick up the toys your blank privelages will be taken away. In time she will learn to pick up.

Answer 9

Try this:
When she doesn`t want to pick up her toys say the toy eating monster will come and eat up all her Barbies, Bratz, ect. If she doesn`t pick them up by bedtime while she is asleep take her toys and leave them somewhere in your room. Then the next day if she DOES pick up her toys while she is asleep put them back in her bin of toys. I hope it works! Put some back anyways. Then so on and so forth.

Answer 10

Get a stop watch and make a game out of how fast she can clean up her toys. Tell how fast she was and praise her and then next time try to get her to beat her time.