“I’m so tired of this! Every day the same thing! Now collect your toys!” Common situation? Becauseteach your child to clean up toys after themselves without nerves?
Of course, you need to teach your child to clean up after themselves. But now you will find out how to do this cunningly, without children’s whims, hysterics and nervous expenses on the part of parents.
Simple rules
How to get a child to put away toys? Remember, no methods and techniques will help teach the “little slob” to order if the four rules are not followed.
Begin with yourself
Children copy adults from an early age. If parents do not put clothes in the closet, books on the shelves, or leave food on the table, the child will repeat their behavior. And vice versa.
Be persistent
No matter how the baby refuses, he will have to clean up after himself. There will be no cartoons, sweets or walks until the toys are in place. Let your child understand this.
Nurture regularly
If you decide to teach order, do it daily. Educate times or two a week won't work. There will be no result!
Don't force, don't scold or shout!
Violent methods discourage the desire to help, but you need to instill it.
The child does not want to put away his toys - what to do?
How to teach a child to clean up his toys? All you need is a positive attitude. Few parents know, but young children are easily charged with positive emotions. And if the baby is in high spirits, it is easier to come to an agreement with him.
Everyone go home
Create houses for toys. This makes it easier for the baby to navigate the room. For example, dolls will live in a closet, cars in a garage, a construction set in a box. Even better, boxes and storage areas for stuffed animals can be turned into colorful homes. Cover the construction box with colored paper, draw windows, and make a triangular roof out of cardboard. Designate garages for cars, sew soft pillows into a house for dolls. A little creativity and your little one will find himself in the land of toys. And here there is a rule - after the game, everyone should go home.
Who is faster?
If the “capricious” categorically refuses to restore order, offer him a competition “Who will collect the most?” or “Who is faster?” You will need two boxes for two participants, or divide the cleaning area in half. On command, mother and child begin to collect toys into boxes, or everyone cleans their own territory. Prize for the winner!
Let's play
You can ask your child to “Collect according to the characteristics”: soft - hard, large - small. Small toys should be placed in one box, large ones in another. You can sort by size, by family, who is friends with whom, etc.
Fabulous cleaning
Fairy-tale characters will come to help mom. Attach wings to the baby's back and she will turn into a fairy who brings order to fairyland. For boys, a toy dump truck, a rocket cop or a cleaning robot will be more suitable. He will save the world from chaos. Please note that the child does not clean up, he plays.
Toy station
A game for two: the baby is the locomotive, the mother is the announcer. The adult notifies:
- The locomotive departs from the “Cleaning” station. The next one is a military station.
The child collects the toy soldiers in a box and moves further around the room. Next, the station of constructors, cars, rubber and plush animals, etc. is notified.
After all the items have been collected, the locomotive can go to refueling - to eat or to the garage - to bed.
Ritual
One way to instill a positive habit in your child is to introduce a “Cleaning Up” ritual. The “sacred ceremony” is held at a certain time, with reference to specific regime moments. For example, before a walk, lunch, bedtime. When sending dolls to sleep in houses, cars in the garage, hum a funny song or lullaby. At first, the adult asks the child for help. Then the ritual is supported by both parent and child. Over time, the adult’s help is reduced, and the “sacrament” of cleaning is transferred to the youngest.
Tricky tale
Tell your little one a story about how toys get upset when people forget about them and don’t put them away in their houses. Offended, they go to fairyland. The next time your baby doesn’t put the toys away, hide one or more of them. Including my favorite one. Having noticed something missing, the child will start looking for it. Say she's gone. You could write a letter to Fairyland and ask to return, but in return you must promise to put it back in its place.
General cleaning is announced! Play some fun music. All residents participate. For each such “general”, participants accumulate points, which are then exchanged for a prize. Agree in advance how many points you need to collect.
- Teach your child order from early childhood. Then by the age of four he will have already developed a strong habit.
- To make it easier for your child to clean up, adjust the number of toys. Hide some of them in a distant drawer and periodically change places. Get rid of broken, unnecessary and uninteresting items in a timely manner.
- Don't forget to praise. Sometimes just the parent’s praise is enough for the baby to develop a desire to maintain order.
- Choose a time to clean before your baby gets tired, wants to sleep and starts acting up.
- From an early age, support the little person’s desire to help adults. Don't let broken dishes and spilled tea scare you. And under no circumstances should you scold him for this. After all, he tried, he cleaned up. This small sacrifice will be fully compensated in the future.
- Be patient. Yes, it’s hard, yes, it’s difficult, but only with patience and perseverance you will achieve a positive result.
- Get used to it gradually. It’s hard for a little baby to collect all the toys, so mom helps. The older the child, the less help from an adult.
- Don't get used to prizes. You can involve your child in cleaning for a reward only at the beginning. In the future, let the reward be a fairy tale, a cartoon, a walk. Ultimately, the main reward will be praise.
- Don't demand perfect cleaning. While the child is small, it is enough that he puts everything in its place. Over time, begin to draw his attention to the fact that toys do not like it when they are laid out sloppily. Describe and show specifically how to place items correctly.
What you should absolutely not do:
- Force.
- Scream.
- Do for the child.
- To leave without encouragement is praise.
Dear parents! Remember: no matter how the child behaves, you are smarter and more cunning than him.
We recently found out. But the baby grows, his games become more complex, and the number of toys increases. How to prevent toys from filling the entire space of a child's room? How to teach a child to collect toys and put things in order? First we'll tell you a fantastic story, and then we'll give you some advice.
In one dark, dark room...
Somewhere in the distance there was a flickering light; there was probably a window there. It was dark in the children's room because the roller shutters were down. Their parents haven't raised them for a long time. They just didn't come here anymore.
The approach to the window was blocked by the princess's castle, assembled from large cubes (or perhaps a stable). This treasure could not be touched, since each moved cube broke the heart of the nursery's inhabitant.
Every time mother and father walked along a path trodden among the thicket of toys, they suddenly ran into a medium-sized mountain of books, which, like a glacier, was sliding down from the overcrowded bookshelf. There were no visible signs of glacier melting. It was an ice age in the children's room.
“There are never too many books,” said relatives and friends and took care of replenishing the glacier. Any library would be glad to have such a collection. Unfortunately, the child valued this treasure and did not refuse educational books, folding books, or even bulky panoramic books.
The Book Mountain gradually turned into the Puzzle Plateau, which extended straight up to the Kukolnaya Hill, and then, after the accumulation of Balls and Jump Rope, the room became completely impassable.
Directly in front of the window stood a mountain of soft toys, each of which evoked ardent love and none of which could be taken away. Well-meaning relatives constantly enlarged this Everest of stuffed animals, bringing it to a record height.
Parents once tried to cope with mountains of toys. But while in other families, moms and dads quietly cleared away abandoned things, following the principle “Out of sight, out of mind, out of here,” in this house the parents did not try to go that far with their daughter. She had some kind of sixth sense, thanks to which she immediately recognized when a toy disappeared - even if the girl had not played with it for a long time. Or so it seemed.
On this day, a neighbor brought her daughter home from kindergarten. When she rang the doorbell, her mother appeared on the threshold. Her hair was disheveled, wisps of dust hung on it, and a feverish blush covered her cheeks. She had a snow shovel in her hand.
“Hm-hm,” the neighbor cleared her throat and asked, “Are you all right?”
“Now yes,” the mother sighed with satisfaction.
The daughter suspected something was wrong and ran into the room.
Now the furniture, carpet, and walls were clearly visible, although the lamp was not turned on. The sun came freely through the (clean) window glass. It was easy to approach him. There is no trace left of the toy mountains and book glaciers. The Ice Age is over.
The daughter stood as if struck by thunder.
“Where?” she whispered.
“In the basement,” answered the satisfied mother.
She chose to remain silent about the fact that half of the toys had already been put up for sale on the Internet. The best children's books were still on the bookshelf, plush toys and bouncing balls were put in a bag, and four of their favorite soft toys were sitting on the pillow.
The daughter walked around her kingdom, which suddenly became so large.
“There’s so much space here,” she said with unexpected gratitude.
- Certainly! - answered the satisfied mother. “And when you want to play with your toys, you can bring something from the basement.” And then you put it back again.
According to the mother, it was a good plan. My daughter seemed to agree with this. At least until she objected.
Creative clutter or attention overload? At a certain age, chaos can be the result of imaginative play, as long as it does not cross certain boundaries - for example, the boundaries of the room. Older children like to mix up their toys: they have cars driving into a toy town, and a spaceship flies right above them. In this way, children discover new possibilities for play.
Smaller children find themselves overwhelmed with too many toys. It's important for them to be able to focus on a small set of things.
Say what you really want. Do you consider the instruction “clean up everything in this corner” to be specific? Your child doesn't think so. Help him take his first steps: “Put the construction set in a box and the disks in the closet.” Such instructions are also important because they lead to praise. You need to look at everything, take a deep breath and say: “Well, you put the disks on the shelf, and put all the parts of the construction set in a box. I’m very glad that you now have such a nice and tidy room.” In pedagogy, this is called descriptive praise, and it has an unusually powerful impact. The more details included, the more proud the child will be.
How to make cleaning easier. The more a child participates in deciding where he will “live” in his room, the better he will remember these places. You can mark chests and drawers with different colors. It’s only bad if there are too many of them: an overabundance of toys interferes with putting things in order. So make an effort and remove the ones your child no longer plays with. When you get them again, they will be interesting again. Or you can get rid of them altogether.
Right time. In this case, rituals also help - for example, if toys are always placed on the shelf before dinner. The gaps between cleanings should not be too long, so that each time it takes less time to clean, and so that the child (and parents) feel a sense of success rather than capitulating to a huge pile of toys.
Correct words. You should also pay attention to how you invite your child to start cleaning: if, as you pass by, you say, “Well, clean up your place,” then you can just as easily turn to indoor plants. The magic key to cleaning success is the right sequence: first you need to attract attention to yourself, and then call on you to clean up the mess.
Approach your child. Now make eye contact with him to enter his world: “You play well with the zoo animals.” It’s worth saying very specific things: “I want you to collect the cubes and put them in a box. And then you can play some more.” In general, you need to formulate it positively, explaining what you want, and not scolding the child for “constantly being a mess.” This doesn't change anything and only spoils the mood.
It's easier to clean together. So, maybe you can put everything on your desk at the same time? And, having worked together, parents and children will together rejoice in the fact that they live in a tidy apartment. And they will praise each other for how diligent they all are.
Cleaning up a child's room is not an easy task! Especially if the child is still small and does not like to help his mother with cleaning issues. How and where to put toys so that they are always in their place? How to teach your child to clean up his room on his own? We've looked at a number of ideas to help resolve these issues!
Many kids like to hide their toys under the bed, which ends up being a whole dump of cars, robots, cats and other items. You shouldn’t scold your child for this or somehow resist it; you can make storage under the bed convenient and fun. To do this you will need drawers on wheels. They come included with many cribs or are sold separately in furniture stores.
Perhaps these are the most affordable and easy-to-use storage systems. You can put the most common toys in textile baskets, from small construction sets to large soft toys. It is convenient for the child to do this himself without the help of his mother, and if desired, he can move the baskets around the room.
This option is great for those who have several children of different ages. It is convenient to place the toys of a younger child on the lower level, and the older ones on the higher levels. This way, parents will protect themselves and their children, because many toys for older people are not at all suitable for the little ones to play with.
If there is not a lot of space in the room, then you can organize the storage of toys right at the front door. To do this, you can use a soft textile or polyethylene organizer with pockets. Or hang small bags or baskets on hooks and put toys there.
Pull-out plastic containers can often be found in hardware stores. They are convenient for storing tools and all sorts of things, including children's toys. A child can easily put toys in them, the main thing is that the containers do not have an unpleasant plastic smell; if there is one, then such containers cannot be purchased.
Flexible and bright baskets for storing toys are not difficult to find in specialized children's stores. Children will be happy to put their toys in such organizers.
It’s convenient when the nursery has mobile storage systems that are convenient to move around the room. This saves a lot of time and makes cleaning more enjoyable and productive. Therefore, you should pay attention to wooden boxes equipped with wheels.
Any mother can make textile pockets; it’s not very difficult, and you don’t need to be a seamstress or designer. But the baby will always be pleased to put his favorite toys in the “houses” that his mother made with her own hands.
Metal baskets are a classic option that will be convenient for both baby and mother. They are very light and transparent, they are not difficult to pick up and you can always see what is in such a basket.
Magnetic holders will come in handy in a boy’s nursery; there will always be several dozen cars and robots that are in disarray. You can quickly collect them in one place with the help of small magnetic helpers.
Storing children's toys is an eternal and inexhaustible topic. That's why we found more
From early childhood I remember that I perceived my parents’ request to tidy up the room and put away the toys as punishment. Therefore, I always did it reluctantly. Well, really - what could be more boring than turning your colorful and cheerful children's world into the most ordinary, unremarkable room? Fortunately, designers have now come up with a lot of original ideas for storing toys, so the cleaning process becomes quick and fun.
Drawstring bags
Whoever came up with these bags is just a genius! When opened, they unfold to a wide playing field, and then quickly fold with the help of a tightening rope. It now takes seconds to put toys away!
Pillows
This idea is not only original, but also practical. Soft toys serve as “stuffing” for a special pillow or bean bag chair.
Shelves and baskets on the wall
They can be very different - from shelves to baskets-pots, which, in addition to their storage function, also play the role of a bright element in a child’s room.
Suspension systems
Hanging organizers, shelves, baskets and hammocks look original in a nursery’s interior, and also free up free space for games on the floor.
Space under the bed
Perhaps this is one of the most practical ways to store toys, which saves space in small rooms and a seemingly useless area of the interior.
Shelving
Your children will have fun putting toys in these fun racks! Especially if you put children's things not just in boxes or baskets, but in personalized compartments - with different names, symbols or colors.
Organizers
Organizer pockets can be hung on the wall or on the door - they do not take up much space, they are easy to carry and are indispensable for storing small items and small soft toys.
Boxes
If the room is spacious enough, toys can be stored in special floor boxes. Or even come up with an unusual design from industrial boxes, fixing it on the wall.
Recently, educational toys have appeared on the shelves of all stores. “What would it be like without them?!” - the teachers exclaim. Let's figure out what an educational toy is.
As the name suggests, this is a toy that develops something in a child: fine motor skills or some kind of knowledge. By and large, all toys are educational: a rattle teaches a child to control his hands (grab, move from hand to hand, throw). And yet, developmental toys are usually those that allow a child to learn something in a playful way. You can make many of these toys with your own hands.
The main stages of child development
Before you start making a toy, determine what age it will be designed for. Obviously, it will not be of interest to a five-year-old. It is also important what the child is interested in. It depends on what shape your toy will be and what plot it will be combined with.
I would like to remind you that everything is individual. Perhaps your child has already mastered some skill ahead of time, perhaps not.
0- 3 months
The child lies on his back most of the time. It is necessary to develop the ability to focus your gaze.
Types of toys: mobiles, bright rattles, garlands, beads.
Requirements for toys: different textures, lightness of toys, simple shapes. The colors are bright, but not variegated. Preferably no more than 5 items.
3 - 6 months
The child moves more and puts all objects in his mouth. Learns to roll over from back to stomach. It is necessary to develop coordination of movements, hearing and vision, and grasping skills.
Types of toys: tumblers, rag beads, toys with a mirror, rattles - dumbbells, rings. Educational mats with arcs. Rag balls, button bracelets.
Requirements for toys: bright, different-textured toys that make different sounds.
6 - 9 months
The child learns to crawl and recognizes loved ones. For some time he is able to entertain himself. It is necessary to encourage motor and speech activity, as well as develop the ability to grasp an object not with the whole hand, but with two fingers.
Types of toys: educational mats, sorters, pyramids, nesting dolls, musical toys with buttons.
Requirements for toys: bright, sounding toys should differ in shape, weight, and method of use.
9 - 12 months
The child learns to walk and talk. It is necessary to develop motor and speech activity.
Types of toys: educational rugs and picture books, rolling toys, dolls with pronounced facial features, glove and finger puppets, pyramids, cubes, sorters, variants of boxes, buckets, baskets (insert toys).
Requirements for toys: toys consisting of different parts that can be assembled and disassembled. Toys that reflect real world situations.
1 year - 1 year 3 months
Active development and exploration of the surrounding world begins. The child shows a desire for independence. It is necessary to develop motor and speech activity, as well as thinking operations: comparison, generalization, analysis.
Types of toys: pyramids, cubes, insert toys, musical instruments.
Requirements for toys: toys consisting of different parts that can be assembled and disassembled.
1 year 3 months - 1 year 6 months
Development of speech, encouragement of speech activity, development of fine motor skills (unfastening - fastening in various ways). Development of the operation of thinking.
Types of toys: educational mats and books, cubes, toys with a surprise (secret), sorters.
Requirements for toys: toys that allow you to generalize objects based on similarity, size, color. Names of animals, plants, clothes, etc.
1 year 6 months - 1 year 9 months
Active knowledge of the surrounding world. It is necessary to develop the active use of objects for other purposes, independent play, and understanding of emotions.
Types of toys: toys that reflect real situations and objects of the surrounding world, animals.
Requirements for toys: subject games (story, construction, etc.). Toys that require you to show and name colors, shapes, and choose an action.
1 year 9 months - 2 years
The child is undergoing active social development. It is necessary to develop an understanding of shape, color, size.
Types of toys: sorters, pyramids, cubes, books.
Requirements for toys: toys that can be grouped by shape, color, size.
2 - 3 years
The baby’s active social development continues; he already knows how to interact with other children. It is necessary to develop fine motor skills, as well as the ability to distinguish shapes, colors, and sizes.
All types of toys. Crafts made from natural materials, paper, plasticine.
Requirements for toys: toys for subject, role-playing games.
35 years
Activity, the ability to independently organize your play activities. These skills need to be strengthened.
Types of toys: children's lotto, puzzles. Games for learning the time of day and seasons. Learning the alphabet and numbers.
Materials for making educational toys
There are a huge variety of materials for making educational toys, most of them are found in every home!
Remnants of fabric
Educational toys are good because you can use leftovers that every needlewoman has for them. For example, the remains of various fabrics, felt, fleece, knitwear. Different textures are welcome!
Want to make your life easier? Use small pieces of fabric that are applied to new suits.
Those who know how to knit can use squares that are knitted to calculate the stitches.
Everything is used: laces, ribbons, buttons, beads, zippers, buttons, drawstrings, latches, adhesive tape, buckles and much, much more! And small thermal applications may well play the role of a secret hidden behind a curtain or in a pocket.
Furniture fittings
Latch latches, hooks, keys with locks and threaded screws can be used, for example, when “building” a house.
Rustling elements
The rustling of one or another element is achieved by placing a crumpled cellophane wrapper from tea or a box of chocolates inside.
Rattle elements
The rattling elements provide a huge scope for imagination. Place inside a plastic container from shoe covers or a plastic egg from Kinder Surprise, into which some cereal (rice, peas, buckwheat, small pasta), salt, dry cherry pits or acorns are poured.
Ringing elements
Most often they are a small bell, bought for little money in a souvenir shop or fishing store.
Shiny and transparent elements
These include pieces of thick foil, the inside of juice or milk packaging, as well as packaging from toys or bedding.
Opening elements
Children usually really like them, especially if someone is hiding under them) Options: window, pockets, curtains. Or you can use these regular water or juice caps.
Old clothes
Some craftswomen use children's clothes for their babies, which are already too small for them.
Fillers
Synthetic padding polyester, foam rubber (then your cube will keep its shape) or polystyrene foam are usually used as soft fillers.
However, I am sure that if you think about it, you will definitely come up with something of your own!
What types of educational toys are there?
On the Internet you can find a huge number of educational toys made by yourself: books, cubes, panels and rugs, pillows, stands, houses, animal figures, etc.
Developmental mat
The plots are also varied. It could be some kind of children's fairy tale or just a picture with a plot.
Remember, for example, what your boy is interested in: cars or trains?
Variants of books “about a baby” are interesting - they not only develop motor skills, but also help the child to better know the world around him.
Or maybe it will just be a cube with some elements? The choice is yours.
All toys can be divided into 2 large groups: those with whom the child can play independently and those for whom need help or presence of an adult. Typically, the first category includes entertaining toys for children in the first months of life, as well as toys that develop fine motor skills. After several demonstrations, the child will be able to independently unfasten a zipper or button, unscrew the lid, etc.
The presence of an adult requires toys that develop the ability to count; find more-less, right-left, up-down; name colors and geometric shapes, parts of the body or animals, explain the rules of behavior or traffic, etc.
Options for toys and the skills they develop
This bracelet will be useful for a very small baby (from 2 to 4 months). It will contribute to the development of the baby's hearing and vision, as well as coordination of movements.
Beads (sling beads)
Sling beads develop color perception, tactile sensations, and teach the child to pick and roll small elements. In addition to beads, you can attach several small knitted animals or fruits.
Pillow with buttons
Despite its apparent lightness, the toy is quite interesting. develop the baby's tactile perception. Take it with you on the road and ask your child (depending on his age) to find all the buttons of a certain color, count them (on the entire pillow, in one row or column), find the largest or smallest button of a certain color in a row or on the entire pillow, show which button is to the right of the small blue one, etc.
Book
Develops fine motor skills, teaches you to name animals, allows you to study colors and geometric shapes.
Stand with locks
I'm sure the boys will be absolutely delighted! After all, there is so much that can be opened, unfastened, turned and pressed. Making a development stand is quite simple; most of the elements can be found in any man’s pantry.
Rug - fairy tale
The rug develops the child's speech and imagination. Simple guiding questions from parents will help the child quickly master these skills (Can you imagine that Kolobok turned the other way? Who will he meet? Etc.)