Simple Tidying Tips from My 3-Year-Old Niece
She can do them; so can you.
Not my niece, but this kid knows how to tidy, too!
Recently I had a play date with my 3-year-old niece. It was so much fun! And if we were doing an activity I wasn’t as into, never fear, she moved on quickly to the next fun and exciting thing. But before we could do that, we had to put away the toys we were playing with.
As her professional organizer auntie, I was so proud. First of my brother and sister-in-law for instilling such great tidying habits in her, but also for my niece who just sees it now as part of how you play (with reminders and prompting, of course). And not just that, doing it with gusto (see cleaning up to music below).
Here are the simple tidying tips you can learn from my 3-year-old niece.
Put It Away Before You Play
Before you move on to the next activity, put things away. This allows you to keep up with the tidying so it doesn’t become a big project that you keep putting off. It also gives you room to do your next activity.
For example, if you clean up after each meal you’ll have space to prepare your next meal and won’t have such a mess to clean up at the end of the day. At least get things off the counters and into the sink or dishwasher. So don’t forget to leave time for the clean up when planning activities.
With kids, give plenty of warnings so they are mentally prepared that clean up is next before playing with the cool, fun toy.
Find Your Clean Up Song
I was informed that we needed “the clean up song” before we could start putting things away. I found a clean up song on YouTube that was close enough and away we went. It was great, but not quite the motivation I’m looking for when I’m tidying up by myself.
When finding your clean up song, choose one that you can’t help moving to. Your workout playlist would probably do the trick. And don’t be afraid to sing and dance along. My song is Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off. I can’t help shaking.
Tidy Together
Each and every time we tidied we did it together, and not just because we were both playing with the toys. I help her clean up when it’s just her playing, too. No one wants to clean up by themselves, especially a preschooler.
You can even make it quality time together, like talking while folding laundry. Besides, “many hands make light work”. It goes so much quicker and easier.
Throw Things in Bins
Organizing your stuff into bins makes it easier to put things away because you can just toss it in. The size of your bin will depend on how much you need to put in it.
It will also depend on your organizing style. Do you prefer larger categories that make it easier to put things away or smaller ones that make it easier to find things?
Choose clear bins and put them on an open shelf if you like things to be visible. If you prefer things to be hidden (that’s me), choose opaque bins hidden away in a cabinet or closet.
If you want to have fun with it, try throwing things in from across the room and see who gets the most in. Also fun, dumping things out to use them! My niece is great at this strategy.
Put Like with Like
Each of my niece’s games were sorted into the bins. This kept all the pieces together, as much as a 3-year-old can. She had everything she needed to play the game.
When organizing your space, put like with like so you can find things. This way you’ll know how much you have so you don’t waste money to buy things you already have. It will also make it easier to let go of the extraneous stuff you don’t need if you can see that you have say 10 silicone spatulas, a common thing people have an overabundance of in their kitchen.
A Home for Everything
Each of my niece’s games, whether they were in bins or not, had a specific home, usually on a shelf. She knew where everything was without help from anyone. Thank goodness, because I had no clue where things were.
Assigning a home for everything allows you to know where to go to find it, but also, you can’t tidy up if you don’t know where to put everything. Even with loose items, assign them a spot and try to contain them, like with a tray for your remote controls.
Take Breaks Before You Pee Your Pants
My niece did! 😉 Without prompting, I might add. So proud!
Remember to take breaks to hydrate, eat, and, yes, pee when you’re doing a huge clean up, like spring cleaning or a round of decluttering. Or in our case, having a fun day of play.
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