How do I get kids to clean-up?

I'm so glad you posted this Angela. I have to do the same thing with my girls.
I've been wondering when I'll be able to tell them to do something and send
them on their merry way to do it, but after reading your post I realize that
won't be for a while.

BTW, are you still on bedrest? How many weeks are you? I've been on vacation
and feel like I'm out of the loop.

Andrea
twin girls-Jordan & Madison
3 yrs. old

I find that my kids (one almost 6, and two almost 4) will follow specific
clean-up direction fairly readily: "Please pick up those toy horses and put
them in the bin. Thank you. Please pick up the toy dinosaur and put it in
the bin. Thank you. Please get your socks and pants off the floor and put
them in the laundry. Thank you."

But if I just say 'clean up', they look bewildered or put-upon, and no
cleaning happens.

A friend with 5 children, the eldest of whom is now in her 20's, once told
me that anybody who expects a child younger than 7 to perform a job
unsupervised, is setting both himself and the child up for failure,
frustration and anger. This does seem to prove true with my children.
Admittedly, I could do the job faster myself than micromanaging clean-up,
toy by toy, but perhaps by specifying objects to put away, I'm helping them
learn to see?

My husband was frustrated with their lack of follow-through on cleanup until
I pointed out to him that *he* does better with household tasks if he's
given specific ones ("Would you please start a load of white clothes, thank
you.") than if he's just asked something generic. He could relate to that,
and it took the edge off his frustration.

--angela