As children get older, they accumulate more and more toys that tend to dominate the house. From a very young age we can teach them to be careful and orderly with their things so that they acquire the habit. Let's see how to teach young children to pick up their toys.
Children and order
As they have autonomy and freedom of movement, children enjoy scattering as many toys as they have everywhere. The more the merrier. They like to have everything in sight and thus be able to decide what to play with at all times. The problem is that the opposite happens. By having toys everywhere, it is more difficult to find one in particular, in addition to being all messy, with the risk of losing them or stepping on them and breaking them.
We can help our children by educating them so that they are more organized and that at the same time they can see all their toys and have a good time. Picking up doesn't have to be boring. Let's see how we can teach young children to pick up their toys.
How to teach young children to pick up their toys
- Start from a very young age. For them to acquire the habit we must start the sooner the better. To encourage him you can put a song that he associates to collect. That they see the activity as something fun and not something tedious or an obligation. There are specific songs for children to learn to save that you can find on youtube. Make saving a game. You can also play to see how many toys he can collect in one minute.
- Have boxes or baskets of different sizes. We can put several boxes or storage baskets and that in each one certain things are stored: in one stuffed animal, in another construction games, in other books ... you can put a photo outside to know what goes inside. For big things you can put a trunk and for small or lost things a separate box.
- Keep your toys and storage places at your height. In order for you to order your toys, the storage places must be adapted to your height. If you have them in an inaccessible place for them, we will not be able to ask you to pick them up by yourself because you will not be able to. Put your boxes, trunks or storage bags adapted to your height.
- At first you will have to help him. So you can show him where everything is going. We already know that children learn a lot by example. Then he will have to do it himself. If he is in the wrong place, do not scold or punish him, congratulate him on his achievement and show him where his site is. With the advice of the boxes with photos this task is very simple.
- Be patient. With this teaching we already know that changes do not happen overnight. There will be progress and setbacks in the process, and we must be patient and not ask for the impossible. Remember that children do not do things to annoy. We must have reasonable expectations, since they will not do things the way you want them to. Keep it real.
- Explain the benefits of collecting. If your child is already old enough to understand you better, you can explain all the benefits of collecting. Your toys will be visible, they will not spoil so much, you will have more room to play, you will not lose anything, you will have more time to play or spend time together ... All are advantages !.
- Congratulate their achievements. Every step is a victory, even if you make a mistake or go too slow. We will not be able to have everything from the beginning. But if we congratulate them on their successes, we will motivate them more to continue doing better. On the other hand, if we are screaming and scolding them all day that they are messy, they will have no motivation whatsoever. You will see the activity as a hassle and it will be increasingly difficult for you to collect your things.
Why remember ... good habits are not achieved overnight but are sown little by little.