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It’s important to teach your child to clean up after themselves for so many reasons. Not only does it help them develop life skills for future years, it helps you not have to do so much! Teaching this skill early on in a child’s life will make it easier for you and your child as they grow older. And believe it or not, you can make cleaning up fun!

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Start them young

When you teach your child to clean up after themselves at a young age, you’re already off to a great start! Even if your child is only a year old, showing them how to put blocks in a basket after playtime is one way of teaching them how to clean up. These small life skills will build as they grow and they’ll already be on their way to forming great clean-up habits!

Lead by example

The most influential way to teach your child to clean up is by modeling the behavior yourself. After all, children love to mimic their parents! As you clean up around the house, they will notice how you do it and sometimes will want to help you. There’s a reason those kiddie brooms and vacuums are such popular toys!

Explain to your child why it’s important that we clean up after ourselves. Helping your child to understand the why will hopefully encourage them to clean up without complaining about it later on. 

Remind them to put away a toy or game before moving on

During playtime, teach your child to clean up by reminding them to put away the toy or game they’re done playing with before pulling something else out. Children have short attention spans so it’s common for them to want to drop one toy and move on to another quite quickly. Remind them to put away the toy they were playing with first and this will reduce overall clutter and help them build a great habit.

Guide them along

Sometimes children need specific direction when you teach your child to clean up. Offer guidance by showing them (by pointing or doing it once yourself) where to put toys, clothes, or anything else they need to clean up. Discussing one step at a time (“Can you put the blocks in that basket?”) works best so they don’t become overwhelmed with multiple commands.

Make it fun

There are so many ways to make cleaning up extra fun for kids! Some ideas to try include:

  • Clean up race! Start a stopwatch and see how fast your child can clean up a specific area. Another idea is to set a timer (ex: 1 minute) and see how much your child can clean up before the timer goes off.
  • Play music. A fun song during clean-up time can change the mood instantly.
  • Turn it into a game or challenge. Have them pick up toys that are only blue first, then green, etc. Another example is to pick up a certain type of toy first (e.g. all the cars). 
  • Offer incentives. Be careful with this one because you don’t want your child to think they should get something every time they clean up. A better incentive would be to offer your time, for example, “When you get done cleaning up, we can play a game together, or go to the park!”

Be consistent and clear about expectations

You’ve probably heard that consistency is key with children and it’s so true! When you teach your child to clean up for themselves, make sure your rules, guidance, and expectations are consistent. Changing your mind often will confuse your kiddo and most likely discourage them.

Being clear about how and when your child needs to clean up will help them work on life skills like cleaning, listening, and following commands.

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Have designated storage

Having designated storage places for toys, books, clothes, shoes, and everything else will make it easier to teach your child how to clean up. They will already know where the items need to go and will start building a habit of putting those items in their designated places.

Cheer them on!

As your child cleans up, especially if they are 5 years old or younger, cheer them on! Saying things like “You’re doing a great job!” and “You’re almost done!” will keep them motivated. 

When your child has finished cleaning, have them take a look around the room and notice how much more space there is now for playing. If you keep a positive attitude, it will excite and encourage them and not make cleaning up feel like a negative experience.

Give grace

Your child won’t always clean up exactly the way you’d like them to and that’s okay! Giving them grace during these learning stages, especially if you have a 2 or 3-year-old, will encourage them and reduce their chances of getting frustrated that they aren’t meeting your standard.

Purge when needed

The less there is to clean up, the easier it is to clean up! We all know that feeling of when there seems to be just too much stuff. Seasonally, or when necessary, go through your child’s things and decide what stays and what gets donated or tossed. Allowing your child to be a part of this routine from an early age makes purging way easier and it teaches them how to give to others.

We hope this list of ideas to teach your child to clean up after themselves is helpful. How have you taught your child to clean up? Tell us your tips and tricks in the comments below!