The Easiest Way to Teach Toddlers to Pick Up Toys

One of the things that really changed for me after motherhood was the perpetual state of disaster that seemingly took over my house time and time again.

I would clean, tidy, and clean some more.

And yet, everything was a bit of a mess shortly thereafter.

This is what I like to call the perpetual state of disaster that is motherhood.

To be honest, my house is far from perfect on a daily basis, but there is one thing that helped immensely when it came to keeping things at least marginally clean:

I taught my son to pick up the toys without nagging, begging or bribing. I wasn’t having to tame temper tantrums each time we needed to pick up. Really, it’s been a lovely change.

How I discovered this one simple trick.

Months and months ago, we started attending library time in our local area. We sang songs, read short books, and enjoyed simple movement games and tasks like Ring Around the Rosy and Hands, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Overall, it was a really good experience for him to learn through play, while at the same time being around other children.

I did notice one thing though…

At the beginning of each library time, the librarian set out a small number of toys on the floor for the children to play with before starting story time. They played and got warmed up while she got the rest of her fun things ready.

When it was time to clean up, she did something I hadn’t heard before. She sang this song called, “Put the Toys in the Bucket.”

It was brilliant actually, and I was thrilled to hear a song besides the good ‘ole standby Barney “Clean Up Song” from years ago.

The “Put the Toys in the Bucket” song goes like this…

Put the toys in the bucket, in the bucket.

Put the toys in the bucket, in the bucket.

Put the toys in the bucket, put the toys in the bucket.

Put the toys in the bucket, in the bucket.

Repeat x 3.

We took this song home with us and started using it for just about EVERYTHING. It’s something about this song that just clicks with kids. Maybe it’s because you are using the actual words of what you want your child to do, rather than simply say “clean up.”

I’ll give you an example of what I mean:

My son spilled Craisins on the floor the other day and we changed the song to “put the Craisins in the bag, in the bag.”

You can use this song with just about anything you want your toddler to help put away. Sometimes he helps with laundry and we sing “put the clothes in the basket, in the basket.”

Why do songs work so well for toddlers anyway…

Music is a great tool for children to understand language better. I find songs particularly helpful if your child is a little bit behind developmentally in language (raises hand). The music makes words (and actions that follow) easier to both learn and comprehend.

Repetition, comprehension.

When a toddler is able to memorize what a phrase means, it means he will start understand the actual meaning. The more phrases a toddler can easily understand the less frustrating their surrounding world becomes.

The other reason repetitive songs are the best thing ever, is that toddlers are able to enjoy mastery. Toddlers LOVE mastery.

So when we use music to turn cleaning up into a fun game, which is easy to succeed at, cleaning up becomes enjoyable for toddlers! This encourages them to be much more helpful and compliant.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a perfect process in our home every day. It is nice to have my toddler help out at least some of the time with keeping the home tidy. It makes days of tantrums or listening challenges or night wakings easier to overcome, when at least one area of our life is going particularly well—cleaning up.

Want more on toddlers?

• Dear Moms of Toddlers
• 9 Phrases that Change Life with a Toddler
• 10 Empowering Ways to Improve Toddler Listening
• What No One Tells You About Parenting Toddler Boys

What’s your best tip to get your toddler to pick up toys? Let’s chat in the comments!