HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- CLEANING MACHINES

Fun way to get kids to clean up

ADDED August 14, 2008

Picking up toys isn’t nearly as fun as getting them out in the first place. But a twist on that chore will help get it done.

When my kids aren’t participating in the clean up, I say, “Uh oh, this cleaning isn’t happening very quickly. What we need are some cleaning machines.”

I tell my kids that now they have to crawl around the floor, because they are the machines!

And they respond immediately to this suggestion. Suddenly they are down on the floor, making odd and vaguely mechanical noises. One of my boys, in doing this activity, recently announced he was a “Toy Plow, not a snow plow,” and that his shovel was really good at cleaning the toys. And so it was.

This twist has come in handy for me, but I don’t think you should try it if time is a factor. If your machines resemble the ones in my house, the job gets done, but with lots of time spent making particular noises, breaking down, being repaired, etc.