Clean-up time in a preschool classroom can be a very challenging time of day.
One year while I was teaching preschool for children with special needs I had a little boy who we will call James. James LOVED playing in the block center. In fact, one of his favorite things to play was “Angry Birds.” He would imagine and build and act out his favorite scenes from his beloved game…until it was time to clean up!
That is when HE became the Angry Bird. The signal to clean up was a trigger for him and his behavior reflected it. In one big swoop he would clear the block area hitting and kicking toys and screaming in frustration and complete overwhelm.
We tried several strategies with James, but none of them worked nearly as well as the routine we created with the Time Timer (affiliate link). Our clean-up routine went from manic to magical with a few simple steps!
- I used a command hook to hang the 12 inch Time Timer like the one pictured above on the wall near the classroom clock so it could be seen throughout the room. It was also low enough that the teachers could reach it, but the children couldn’t.
- We taught James a new clean-up routine that was a little different than everyone else.
- When we had about 5 minutes left to play we would go over to James, get his attention and then show him that there was 5 more minutes to play. When the “red was all gone” we would begin cleaning.
- This is when we would ask James if he had anywhere else he would like to play before we cleaned up for the day. This gave him the opportunity to do that one more thing that he hadn’t gotten to yet.
- When the timer went off, James would leave his toys right where they were and go to our classroom Safe Place (Conscious Discipline).
- Other children were instructed to leave his toys and just clean up their own spaces. When they were finished and most of the children were at the rug, an adult would get James and he would calmly clean up his area and then proceed to the rug
Over time, the trigger lessened and James was able to make the shift from playing to cleaning in a more regulated state. He no longer needed to go to the Safe Place. He could stop where he was, breathe and then begin cleaning with minimal resistance and help.
Another suggestion you could try if you need more help than that in your classroom is a hoola hoop. You could put a hoola hoop around the items that the child needed to clean. This would help them focus on the specific goal without feeling so overwhelmed by ALL the toys that needed cleaned. You could start with just a few toys to clean and over time you could grow that number until the child is cleaning and taking more responsibility in their work space.
Often times, what gives us the most trouble in situations like this is our own stinking thinking. We think to ourselves, “He is 4 years old. He SHOULD know how to clean up.” Perhaps this sounds familiar, “He made the mess, he should clean it up.” If you are stuck with this type of thinking, you will stay exactly where you are–STUCK! You will be stuck and the child will be stuck. Nobody has time for that! We only have a short time with these precious children and we need to make the most of it! Start small and a take it one step at a time! You can do it and so can they!