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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

4 year olds and tidying up

17 replies

Yorkiegirl · 02/12/2005 17:47

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OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

tortoiseshell · 02/12/2005 17:49

We have 'tidy up time' when we all run round tidying the house up, stickers for 'good tidying'. Ds has really got the idea since going to school. I can now leave him to tidy up on his own and he will do it. Dh is very fussy about tidiness, which gives another line 'Let's make Daddy happy by making everything really tidy'.

Kelly1978 · 02/12/2005 17:50

i don't give mine their tea until they've tidied up. They tidy up before tea and at weekends, lunch which helps them keep on top of it. They've got int eh habit of jsut one box out at a time.

Avalon · 02/12/2005 17:52

Have a place for everything and everything labelled with the words and a picture.

Get her into a routine of putting away what she was playing with before getting something else out.

Get both of you (sorry!) into a routine where you tidy up at the end of the day. Perhaps put some music on to make it seem more fun.
When she's older and has learnt how to tidy properly, she'll be able to do it on her own.

I've found that if you do this sort of thing early enough, it pays dividends later on.

Original poster

Yorkiegirl · 02/12/2005 17:56

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OP posts:

Nemoinapeartree · 02/12/2005 17:59

I have tidy up time with ds and started it at around 18mths. He is now 2.1 and will willing help..sometimes have to turn it into a 'race' to get his attention.

hornbag · 03/12/2005 11:03

When my DD was at nursery they used an egg timer to race against for tidy up time -it worked a treat there and at home. However now shes 6 things are different ....

Pinotmum · 03/12/2005 11:09

Coming up the stairs with a bin bag in hand usually gets dd (5 y) moving

wavingordrowning · 03/12/2005 18:39

TV doesn't go on till the playroom is tidy
Set the eggtimer and see who can tidy up the most in the specified time. Reward of some variety for the winner (glass of mummy's naughty medicine if mummy is deemed to be the winner!)
Threaten any toys left out with the "toy prison" where they will be "locked up" out of reach for a week.
any or all of the above

littledonkeyrach · 03/12/2005 19:12

If daddy has to tidy up, it all goes in the bin.

Usually works.

JingleShells · 03/12/2005 19:16

We've always told DS that any toys left lying around will get lost or broken, and they do, he's learnt and is pretty good about putting them away now.

TreeFuses · 03/12/2005 19:18

This reply has been deleted

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spruceylucy5 · 03/12/2005 19:21

My dd is pretty helpful and tidies toys away but not always thelittle plastic bitty bitss which I lovingly sweep up and chuck in the bin! Shes never noticed, kinder egg toys and that sort of thing.

Furball · 03/12/2005 19:41

I tell ds anything that hasn't been tidied away gets put in a different room until the same time tomorrow so can't be played with. Or, if theres loads I say I'll give you a race, bet I can finish first.

dot1 · 04/12/2005 09:01

threats are used here aswell... No breakfast until he does his 3 morning jobs - pants in the washing box, cup on the stairs and folds duvet back!!

that's about all he does at the moment (he's 4), but if I have to make him do stuff, turning the telly off/threatening to usually works...!

LoveMyGirls · 04/12/2005 20:30

since my dd was 3 she has always tidied up (learnt it at nursery) so at home i used the same wording "tidy up time" she knew what it meant and had watched me tidy up often enough to know where alot of things went i would give her things and tell her which box it went in etc now she's 6 and she's the one telling me we need to tidy up she tidies at least once a day i tell her not to but she carries on - like she's playing mum! (guess its role play)
She is allowed a few things out at a time and she knows that at the end of everyday on her way to bed she takes any toys she has brought down upstairs with her so we can have our adult space back when she's in bed. She also has a "play house" in the garden where she keeps toys and she keeps it tidy by herself i only hope your new sister will be this good

LoveMyGirls · 04/12/2005 20:31

sorry should be her sister, also my fav saying is if its not in the wash basket it doesnt get washed and i always make sure any cups are bought out of her room everyday.

Hulababy · 04/12/2005 20:33

Boxes! That is our answer. All toys and books are in a variety of storage boxes, stored either inher bedroom or downstairs under the stairs. We tdy up together, before she can have anything else out.

DD's Polly Pocket stuff does drive me mad - it is so tiny! I have just bought the PP closet as part of an extra present for DD, so I am hoping that will help sort them out.

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