I know, it sounds too good to be true, right? But if you take the time to train your kids with this simple trick, it’s possible that you won’t have to spend your precious, after-bed minutes picking up all of the toys strewn all over your serene, kid-free space.
Create Toy Jail. That’s it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRCdpOzhPf6/
Get a bin (size depending on how many toys your kids have and leave out), write a note on it like the one that inspired this Instagram post, then inform your kids that anything they don’t pick up before bed goes into jail.
They can get it out by doing chores for you the next day (or whenever they get around to it – no skin off your nose, right?).
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br-rG5vFFyX/?utm_source=ig_embed
“You left it out and I picked it up, I’ve got your stuff, you’re out of luck. To get it back, please do a chore, then it’s yours, just like before.”
Feel free to steal the rhyme, if that’s not your thing, and the clever tweaks some commenters have made – like bigger bins, or even a lock, if your kids are older and enterprising.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BslTX5qF2tN/
Do what works for you, but this hack should teach your kids about both consequences and responsibility, neither of which are a bad thing!
Good luck in the trenches, parents – enjoy that clean living room while you can!
