Kiddies Go – kids helping clean up

22
Feb

Sometimes I find a lot of things on the floor…

 

…including my kids….

They tend to leave things ALL over the house ….

and it becomes simply an impossible task to carry each child’s items back to where it belongs.

Kids don’t generally clean up what they throw out or leave behind  – unless you MAKE them do it. Well, mine anyway…

Some claim they are too small, so they go on strike…….

and they may have a point.

But, kids can be helpers in the house too, to keep the house more organised and tidy.

They just need a little help. And something to make it a little more tangible other than just mom’s nagging !

Today I found these at Costco.

Got one in the colour of each child’s room.

I thought they were pretty dandy!

So, what to do with them?

I think they will be pretty handy.

Here’s what I plan to do.

Park them in the room you are busy cleaning up. Throw each kids’ belongings in their own cart and later when they are home…they can have the responsibility to get all the things in their own cart back to where it belong.

You can make them pick up their own toys and fill their own carts..but the problem is they are usually at school when most of the cleaning up happens !

They have wheels, are lightweight and easy carry along so little ones have no excuse ! They are pretty and durable..so it perfectly fits the criteria of “form meets function”.

Each child has his/ her own so it is easy to point out who is doing their bit and who not..and consequences/ rewards can be given based on empty/ overloaded carts !!

Find them at Costco

Kiddies Go ! Hooray ! Go Kiddies !!

Ilze


Comments

10 responses to Kiddies Go – kids helping clean up

  • Grethe says:

    Cool!! Will it fit in the post? I will definitely pay a visit to our local Costco! Do they come in green?

    • Ilze says:

      mmm…not sure… but they had other colors too – i only had eyes for these colors due to their room colors ! But you can always make it “pink” for “girl”… Actually they will be mostly outside their rooms as that is where the items will lie, but it will hint me where to throw whose things! For M’ s age, you can actually teach her how to throw her things in there…even though she cannot unpack and put away her cart…but it will be the same concept..so perfect for that age too ! They are a nice size for kiddies.

  • JE says:

    This sounds wonderful….my biggest problem is the legos…I remember you had quite a collection..how did you deal with that? Some structure are built and we not allowed to touch or move it for fear of braking structure, and then you have pieces left that are not used and need to be put back in box…always painful experience..sometimes goes well most times not with my boy picking up after playing…any tips?

    • Ilze says:

      1. There shouldn’t really be pieces, but ok…there always are..:-), so i usually put the xtra pieces in smaller containers so that the space on shelf is not taken over by huge, empty boxes.
      2. Keep the boxes, because if you break the set again, you might want to see the picture or instructions again – but at least you can keep them in storage/ garage and not in your house on display
      3. Once the structure got built, it became a “display” item in his room on special shelfs, and it is no longer a toy to play with..so no one can destroy or need to tip toe around it.
      4. The problem is when you have those “work-in-progress” structures..mot ready for shelf, but can’t be packed away?! Well – that is okay to live with that for a while…but then it needs to become a completed project within foreseeable future… this goes WAY beyond cleaning up. This is something you have to work on very hard as it later on involves organisational skills and completing tasks abilities. I did not force this enough and do have a few issues on this now….it is my son’s biggest area for development. And after long debate, we realised that it stemmed from those things… allowing legos all over the show and putting things “on hold” and never finish while everybody else is troubled by it in the meanwhile…. So – DEAL WITH THOSE LEGO PIECES while the tree is young and the branches can bend !! 😉
      5. I would just suggest a little “project desk” where he can play with those “construction” toys. A place where his work can be out..UNTILL completion, so there isn’t any clean-up issues inbetween. But, he can not start a new project untill the desk is clear and clean from the previous. That allows things to not end before it is complete.. so it will be an incentive to finish the one so that the next “model” can be bought only once “desk is available” again. But, while he works on it, you show him that his work is important, it can be out and nobody needs to fall all over the pieces. We all know once you put things away, you tend to not work on it so much..so, maybe it is a good idea to keep things out and not pick up after play (in the case of Legos?)
      These, my suggestions. But, it remains a problem!! Painful – as you pointed out.

      • JE says:

        That does make a lot of sense. I do need to get a desk where he can build and create, that will solve the headache of picking up and trying not to trip over structures. We inherited two big storage containers of lego, both of them had several lego mixed up in one . So there are no original boxes or pictures to use for reference. So what happens when looking for pieces he would tip the whole box to look for a piece he needs…i have to find a way to group them..would you suggest by color and size, or like pieces…not sure what would be the best way…

        Thanks for some great ideas…i see light again:)

  • Sabine Soehring says:

    Love it! I need those!!! Do you plan a visit to Costco sooon? I never go there and have no card. If you are around, could you bring me a pink and a blue one? Want to start with the same method!

    • Ilze says:

      would have totally gone for you !!! but still sick in bed ;-( ask on fb who is going… you know they only get stuff in one shipment and then gone again !!

  • Hmm I wonder if they have those here! I’m battling with my three year old right now. For awhile there she was helping me clean up, now she just sings the clean up song but I do all the work. Infuriating. Mind you, she is three so really everything is a battle. 😉

    • Ilze says:

      my 4 yr old decided it is a great plan to throw her stuff into the older kids’ cart – that makes hers empty and “rewardable” !! 😉 Even if they don’t use these for clean-up, I see they now love just pulling it along as a ‘wagon” to play with !!

  • Leave a Response to Grethe

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