I don't know if your kids are like mine, but they seem bored with the whole "clean up your toys when you're done playing" routine.  So, I have tried a couple of fun ideas to make the adventure a little less painful. 

Their favorite is to find the absolute fastest song playing on the radio and/or put on their favorite music.  We all move to the beat and race around the room cleaning up as quickly as we can.  It's so much fun, we are laughing at the same time.

Another idea we try is to have each child take a turn calling out a color.  When a color is called out, you have to pick up all the toys that are that color.  When done, the next child gets to pick a color.  They sometimes get a little too analytical with this one when a toy is multicolored:).

Finally, we turn on the loud kitchen timer.  Even if there is no prize to finish on time, the kids love trying to beat the clock.  We end up cheering happily if we finish before the buzzard goes off!  And, of course, there's plenty of high fives.

Do you have any fun strategies to share?

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