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Tidying Up with Marie Kondo has many of us in clean up mode. While adults have no problem with cleaning up after themselves, teaching children to do so can be a bit of a chore. So what happens when parents are unable to get their little ones to fall in line? Let’s face the facts here: most children are typically not thrilled about the prospect of putting their toys away.

It’s one of their least favorite activities. There are a number of ways to get them to do what they are told. Any experienced parent probably has a number of tricks in this regard, and whether you are trying to turn clean up time into a party or offer incentives to your children for doing their chores, there are no shortage of options. This mother’s idea might be the best one yet, though.

We must offer a small disclaimer first: you are probably going to end up putting the toys away yourself. However, this method is going to provide them with all of the motivation that they need to pick up their toys in the future. It all starts with a large storage bin. Most parents have these on hand already. Make sure that yours is large enough to store each toy in your home first.

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With all that clutter from the holidays, you’re probably tired of picking up the toys around the house by now. – What a great time to teach the kids how to pitch in and do chores around the house. They won’t want to of course but if you create a toy jail, you’ll come out on top! – What are your favorite sneaky ways to get the kids to pitch in? – #mom #mother #mommy #motherhood #momlife #candidmotherhood #motherhoodunplugged #specialeducation #specialneeds #specialneedsmom #momofboys #momofgirls #singlemom #momoftwo #momofthree #momoffour #supermom #autism #dyslexia #dyscalculia #workingmom #parenting #parents #parenthood #momproblems #parentproblems

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Once you have collected the necessary supplies, you can create a toy jail. You may need to add a lock to the toy box if you have a little one who is particularly determined to spring their favorite playthings. This mother wrote “TOY JAIL” in big letters on top of the toy box. The explanation that she provided for locking away the toys is too cute.

Her children left the toys out and she’s the one who picked them up. If they are going to get the toys back, they will need to do a chore first. Not only is this mother getting her little ones to put their toys away but she is also getting them to do chores, too? What a genius!

The hack happens to be self-explanatory. Little ones who do not want to put their toys away will need to do chores in order to get them back. This makes too much sense not to implement in your own home. Definitely share this with the moms in your life.