Teaching your toddler to clean up the mess

Every parent of a toddler knows that it seems to only take a second for your toddler to take a perfectly clean room and make it look like a tornado blew through.  I find myself getting overwhelmed and just letting the clutter stay.  I mean, if Ethan is going to just mess it up again, why should I go to all the trouble to make it look nice (unless company is coming over, of course)?  This strategy is not good either, because it isn't very settling to sit in a messy room.  You always have that task hanging over your head.  Since your toddler has contributed to the mess, why shouldn't he help cleaning it up?

• They are your toys.  You need to put them away.  Easier said than done, your child somehow knows that this is a "chore" and may not be interested in participating.  Making the task fun may speed up the process.  Turn the music up or sing a song while helping your toddler make his contribution to the family responsibilities.  And just because you are little doesn't mean that you don't have responsibilities too.  The sooner your child realizes it, the easier it can be on you.
• Big boy tasks are very fun to do.  There always seems to be a stray cup that someone has left in the living room.  It may take me 30 minutes to get Ethan to clean up his toys but he will run to pick up the cup and go into the kitchen to put in the sink.  Anything that seems like a task to be completed by Mom or Dad is somehow easy to sell.  When he first started this, we had to stress carrying the cup with both hands and walking slowly.  Amazingly, his coordination improved overnight because he was so focused on doing his "big boy task" and didn't want to drop the cup.  To combat potential problems with breakable dishes, we implemented a "plastic only" policy for any room outside of the dining room and the kitchen.  That way if Ethan does have a mishap while cleaning up, it doesn't create a safety issue. 
  
• Give your child a broom or a dust pan.  Ethan loves to sweep the floor.  While he might not be doing a great job because he is too little to sweep, he is making an effort.  You can't learn how to do something unless you try.  Eventually when he takes that broom to the floor, he will make it clean.  And it will be one less task that I have to do.
• Dusting is easy and can be fun.  Give your child a rag and let him clean the flat surfaces.  The motions of  "dusting" will build your toddler's coordination and it seems to be something that Ethan is really happy to do.  It also teaches him the hand motions of cleaning up a spill.  And I imagine we have a lot of spills still left in our future.  It would be nice if he could clean up some of his own messes.
• Take out the trash.  At 20 months old, it is Ethan's job to take the trash out to the trash can.  Is he too little?  Not at all.  We got the most heavy duty bags we could find, instruct Ethan what exactly goes into the trash (otherwise EVERYTHING goes into the trash), and Dad helps Ethan carry the trash out of the house, down the stairs and to the can.  He thinks this is the GREATEST THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.   I don't imagine he'll be as excited about this task when he is 10, but we are taking advantage of his enthusiasm now.
• Praise goes a long way.  Cleaning up is boring for everyone.  Hearing that he is doing a great job along the way and being a "big boy" like a big brother or Dad may be the motivator your toddler needs to get the job done in the end. 
  

Ethan is little and sometimes he gets frustrated when asked to do too much.  It is a fine balance between knowing how much your toddler can handle and what tasks are age-appropriate for your child.  But the only way you can gauge your child's capabilities is to test them.  I have found that Ethan can do so much and is such a great little helper.  When faced with things that are just too difficult, we always tell him that when he is ready, he will be able to do what "big boys do."  Until then, we will help him do the difficult things.  His confidence is growing.  Let me know what other things you do to get your children involved.