Tidying up with a song
The living room looked like a shipwreck. Abi found the trick: make tidying a game.
Toys everywhere. If Abi says "let's tidy up" in a tired voice, the result is zero. So I turned it into a race: "Who can put the blocks in the basket fastest?"
Suddenly tidying was fun. Baby Mo ran for blocks, Baby Ais copied him stuffing in dolls. Abi sang a made-up cleanup song, they laughed. Five minutes, clean floor.
Children don't hate helping — they hate being ordered in a bored voice. The same task can be a burden or a game, depending on our face when we ask. Responsibility is easiest planted while it still feels like play.
Each of you is a shepherd, and each is responsible for his flock.
Responsibility for your own things starts with one basket of blocks. And it turns out, with a song, it's much lighter.
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