Want Ideas For Fun Clean-Up-Time Games?

How many times have you become frustrated when you are trying with all your might to get your child(ren) to clean up and they just won't do it. Perhaps they do it but they throw a fit every time. You feel like you are pulling teeth just to try to make it happen. Have you tried all kinds of fun games to get your kids to work with you during clean-up time but you're out of creative ideas? I'll share a few things that have helped me in this area.

• Play the "roll-away" game. This is where you take a tissue box and decorate it with some bright wrapping paper or colored paper- whatever you have around the house. Then, add pictures of the items that are the hardest to get cleaned up. This could be blocks, books, Legos, etc. Add those pictures to the tissue box. Sing a little song and let the kids take turns in rolling the tissue box and whatever picture(s) end up facing up, those are the things they clean up. It makes it a fun game and before you know it, the room is clean.

• Turn on a song and use it to clean up in a fun way. Sing and dance a little to show some excitement and say in a HAPPY voice "Whoever gets everything cleaned up before the end of the song gets to help with ___" You fill in the blank. This can always be tweaked if you need to, such as whoever finishes first gets to help.

• Another fun way to clean up is to play music and JUMP when a group of items has been picked up. Such as, after putting away all books, jump 4 times. Whenever the kids put all of the Legos away, jump 2 times. If you have active kids, this is great for them.

• Be sure to show lots of PRAISE when you see a job well done. Praise goes so much further than negativity. Instead of finding reasons to criticize a job, give praise for willingness to help. Give praise for a good, I-can-help attitude. This will go very far with the kids.

• Change your kids' perspective of clean up time. Instead of making it seem to be a chore, help them to see the benefit of cleaning up by singing a song like "Time to clear our fun and start over again. Thanks toys!". If your kids see you engaging in the activity in a positive way, they will react positively as well.

I love to find creative ways to do regular tasks. I've enjoyed using riddles to do all kinds of things from planning play dates to having Birthday parties. Have you ever considered how much fun this could be? You should explore the option!

For fun party ideas and to see the cool ways I use riddles visit Http://Age-Appropriate-Riddles.info.

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