How do you handle a 3.5 yr old who refuses to clean up after themselves?IJ

I'll tell her to clean up her toys, she'll pick one or two things up and by the third, she's sitting on the floor playing with something making more of a mess. I have asked her like FIVE TIMES to clean up. I told her that if she doesn't pick up her stuff, that I'm throwing it away. So, after getting so frustrated and fed up, I grabbed a garbage bag and threw everything on the floor in it. I put it outside while she was looking and told her it was now garbage. When she wasn't looking, I put the bag in the basement, because her leappad explorer is in there with all her games. How do you deal with it? She just won't listen and when she does clean up, she takes her SWEET TIME and it can take close to an hour to do something that would take me 5-10 minutes. I'm losing my mind here. Her toys are all over my living room. We don't have a playroom and her bedroom is upstairs and I don't like her being up there alone. So she has a decent size corner of our living room with her kitchen, toy organizer/bookshelf, another cabinet with toys/books. It's not like there is no where to put her things. I'm losing my mind over here. Oh and she's smart as a button, so she KNOWS better.

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Asked by Anonymous at 7:34 PM on Feb. 11, 2012 in Preschoolers (3-4)

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Either help her to keep her on task or don't let her make the mess int he first place. She's 3 so if it's a big mess she'll loss interest in picking it up rather quickly.

Answer by MrsMWF at 7:38 PM on Feb. 11, 2012
Credits: 22334 Level 25 Preschoolers (3-4) 101

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You have to either help her out, or make it into some sort of game or give her specific things to do- like pick up all the red toys, pick up the dolls... they get distracted and also it can be overwhelming I think

Answer by charlotsomtimes at 7:43 PM on Feb. 11, 2012
Credits: 78684 Level 36 Preschoolers (3-4) 101

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as long as you have tried a variety of things, i think the garbage bag thing is a good idea. i have done it too and it helped.

Answer by annanonnymommy at 8:24 PM on Feb. 11, 2012
Credits: 31504 Level 27 Preschoolers (3-4) 101

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I agree with Charlotsomtimes. Break the task down into manageable pieces. It's not at all unusual for a child that age to become distracted, and giving them a general chore isn't as effective as helping her by saying, "Okay, it's time to clean up. Let's start by picking up all the blocks and putting them back in their bin."

I have a child with autism, and for her, I still have to give verbal reminders, even though she's eight. She, too, gets easily distracted and downright stubborn. For her, in addition to breaking down the job into easier to understand tasks, I also remind her of what we'll do when she's finished. I use a lot of "first, then" with her. For example, I'll say, "First you finish picking up your toys, then we'll go to the park to play."

Answer by jsbenkert at 8:27 PM on Feb. 11, 2012
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Set a timer for 20 minutes; what is not cleaned up in that time goes in a bag, in the basement, for a week

Answer by rkoloms at 8:50 PM on Feb. 11, 2012
Credits: 72319 Level 35 Preschoolers (3-4) Minor

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She would not be allowed out of the room until she puts away her mess. Yes she is 3, but they have to learn at some point and a 3 yo understands.

Answer by robinkane at 11:07 PM on Feb. 11, 2012
Credits: 84799 Level 36 Preschoolers (3-4) Minor

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What did she do when u trew them away .. Was she upset .. I would just take them away leave out 3 toys no big clean up . I trow away there toys when it's on the floor 2 now when. Say help me clean or go pack up ur toys it's done

Answer by michmm03 at 4:38 PM on Feb. 13, 2012
Credits: 475 Level 10

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