Picking up after small children is a never-ending job and can feel pointless at times. But if you can install good habits in yourself and your children when they are young, you can keep things picked up without so much overseeing on your part in the future. Even if your children are older, or you want to get better at picking up your house, there are a few simple things you can do to make your space feel cleaner all the time.
Start with one or two of these ideas until they become habits:
1) Pick up the house each night. If you can tidy up the kitchen and get toys and clothes off the floor before you go to bed, you will thank yourself in the morning when you are able to start with clean surfaces.
2) Each time you walk out of a room, pick up 1 or 2 things that do not belong there and go put them away.
3) Make a list on the fridge for school-age children of things they need to pick up before they are free. For example, if my son left his shoes & socks where they do not belong, I might make a note that reminds him of that and put it on the fridge. If I continue to find more things of his throughout the day, I can add to the list instead of keeping it in my head and forgetting that he needed to clean up after himself before he was free.
4) Add a rotating task of "10 minute pick-up" to your list. You can set a timer and "putter" around - just moving things from where they are to where they belong. Timers have always been big hits with my toddlers. You can turn it into a game to have children run things to the different rooms in the house.
5) Remember that picking up the house can be more than half the battle when it comes to cleaning. If you can keep things generally picked up, or within a few minutes of being picked up, things will go smoother when you need to clean and you will not be worn out before you even pull the out the vacuum. If having a "picked-up" house is truly important, use your tasks and tools to make it happen.
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