Pick Up Tricks

Family life, while full of joy, is also full of messes. However, there is hope. Mary Poppins says, "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun, and snap the jobs a game."

Imagine toy soldiers marching all by themselves into the toy box. Or how about clothes that fold themselves at the snap of your fingers? Any parent whos seen the Disney classic, Mary Poppins, might desire this magical ability to clean up the room. The Banks children certainly knew how to make a mess of the nursery. And if truth be told, so do my kids and yours. Duplos, Little People, play dishes, dollies, books, dirty socks you name it if a kid owns it, its bound to hit the floor in chaos sooner or later.

Family life, while full of joy, is also full of messes. However, there is hope. Mary Poppins says, In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun, and snap the jobs a game. If we can make cleaning easier for our kids, and even a little bit fun, they will balk less at the work that needs to be done. In addition, while learning valuable life skills and a sense of responsibility, they will become active participants in the everyday workings of the household. I cant teach you that finger-snapping thing, but here are some pick up tricks to make cleaning easier and a little more fun at your house.

Divide and Conquer A room full of toys can look daunting to a little person, especially when the toys are strewn about the floor haphazardly. Help your child divide the task into doable parts, focusing on one type of toy, like blocks, that needs to be put away. After your child has collected the blocks and put them away, help him to narrow in on the next thing, such as books. This method helps the child make sense of a big project at the same time as providing practice for sorting and identification skills.

Reorganize Consider ways to organize your home so that it allows your children to easily help with daily chores. They are more likely to be tidy when its easy for them. Our son, Judah, 2, can help empty the dishwasher because all our plastic cups, bowls and plates are in the lower cabinets, easily within his reach. My husband recently built and installed a low peg rack for the kids to hang their coats on. Before hed even completed the project, someone had already hung up a coat. Store each kind of toy in separate clear plastic boxes with lids. The boxes stack nicely and are easily identifiable. Limiting your children to playing with one box at a time is also helpful in heading off messes. Set your kids up for success.

Tool Time Since my husband is a contractor, we are big on tools at our house. Tools are defined as anything to help you do your job better. Provide your little helpers with tools that enable them to truly help you. A dishpan is great for collecting messy dishes after dinner. Teach your child to wipe the table and to use a dustpan to collect the crumbs as they fall off the edge. If the budget allows, purchase a rechargeable, cordless sweeper. You push it like a vacuum, but its round brush actually sweeps dirt, dust and crumbs into an inner compartment. Our kids often fight over who gets to use it because its so fun to do. This is one of Judahs favorite tools and he can even empty it himself.

Make it a game As my favorite nanny says, A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. While there are many instances in life when chores are chores and you just have to do them, theres no reason that we cant endeavor to show our kids that work can be fun. One cleaning game our boys like is freeze cleaning. I set the stereo with fun, loud music and the kids begin to clean. Randomly I stop the music and they have to freeze in the position theyre in. The positions they end up in are sometimes hilarious (as well as often choreographed). They enjoy the process of setting the room to rights.

Calvary, our 4-year old loves to play I Spy, which weve turned into another cleaning game. Mama says, I spy three books and he searches the room for the books that are out of place and puts them away. After a recent game when I had spied everything there was to pick up in the living room, he requested to go clean another room proof that making it fun makes kids want to clean.

Consider your own household, family, and lifestyle. With a little imagination, you can discover fun ways to teach your kids to put a little order in their chaos. No, they wont do it as nicely as you would. Instead, they will learn a good work ethic and you will receive valuable help. Dont worry you wont always be tripping on Little People and stuffed animals. Make-up, car keys, and greasy auto parts are just around the corner.

Jessica Fisher is a wife, mother and freelance writer making her home in Olathe. She and her husband share the joys of raising five young children.