Toddler Cleanup Song Together Game

Toy bins or baskets for sorting

The toys that need tidying up (you've already got those)

Announce transition time: "It's almost cleanup time! Let's sing our song."

Start singing your favorite cleanup song while picking up the first toy.

Hand a toy to your toddler and point to its home: "This block goes in the bin!"

Sing together while working side by side, each putting things away.

Turn it into a game: "Can you find all the red toys? I'll get the blue ones!"

Give one instruction at a time: "Put the car on the shelf" — not "clean up the whole room."

When you finish, celebrate big: "We did it together! High five!"

Pick any cleanup song — the "Clean Up" song from Barney works, or make up your own simple melody.

Start with just a few toys. Asking a toddler to clean an entire room is overwhelming and sets them up to fail.

Always clean together, never just watch. Toddlers learn by doing it with you, not for you.

Color-coded bins make sorting a built-in game and teach categorization at the same time.