How Do You...

I used the throw it away method for my preschooler. I first made the organization child friendly like the bins that you mentioned. I tell my daughter that I don't mind her and her sister (18mos) making messes as long as she understood she had to clean it up. When she refuses I get out a big black trash bag and start picking things up myself. The first time I did this she went into panic mode! It has really worked. Now even my youngest helps cleaning up. We always pick up before we go somewhere, before we take naps, and before we go to sleep. When I told my toddler it was time for a nap last week she started picking up toys and putting them in the basket without me asking her too! I was so proud! Now I do need to explain I still do lots of picking up and cleaning but at least now they are starting to take responsibility for their things.

Ah yes, I am frowning! This drives me insane most of all because the moment you clean their room and pick all their stuff up, they cant wait to play with them again! I have just given up. I clean their rooms once a week thoroughly and then just pick up as I can during the week. I tried having a Tuesday cleaning day with my 6 year old and asked her to pick up all the toys and I would do the rest. She of course had a cow then came and said she was finished, when I went in her room it was all put away! I could not beleive it! The next day looking for one of her shoes I looked under the bed and guess what I found? Dozens of toys and other stuff under it. Thats how she cleaned up. That day I gave up. I just do it myself. It will pass when they get older I tell myself. LOL

Great advice so far! My kids are still not good at this but at least they try. I started enforcing a rule about a year ago and it has helped. If I find anything just lying around I put it in a bin that it kept in a corner that is not visible from where guests would enter our home. If they left socks or shoes, toys or books, hair stuff or lip gloss I just throw it in the basket and at the end of the day they have to empty their basket. They have to put all of it away where it goes no exceptions. They hate this, lol! But I have noticed since Nov. 07 that I have not had to put anything in the baskets. They are really making an effort to keep things picked up. Also I have specific times that the house needs to be picked up by. Like right before dad gets home we pick up and straighten up and before bed we make sure that the living room and other places are clean. We also have a playroom. That is where 75% of our toys stay but b/c I am an in-home childcare provider I do have toys in the living room downstairs for that purpose. My girls have just recently (like within the last 6 mths) started to "get it" about the picking up after themselves. It is a long and hard road. Don't give up just yet, just try to find little tricks that help along the way. I hope this helps.
Oh we have also told them that they cannot start to receive an allowance until they can be responsible for their things and chores w/o us having to nag them to get it done. This is helping us to reinforce the "pick up after myself" attitude.

We have a spare bedroom that we do not use, but it is upstairs. Now that my daughter is four, I moved all of the toys upstairs. She had some stuffed animals and dress up clothes in her bedroom and the rest of the stuff is upstairs. Sometimes she plays up there, and sometimes she brings stuff downstairs. She goes "shopping" and picks out what toys to bring down. When the bin in the living room gets full, I dump all of the toys back in the room upstairs. I know one mom who puts shoes and toys in time out for a week if they are not picked up. That might be an alternative to actually throwing them away (that might get expensive). You might try putting some of the toys away and leaving out a smaller amount. When all of the toys were in my daughter's room, I would tell her to clean up, but the number of toys would be overwhelming. Now that she had a limited number, she can easily clean up her room.

Throw them away! I'm not kidding. When my son was barely over two he was so helpful at daycare and always picked up and reminded others that it was time to pick up and not to play. At home it was quite the opposite. I stayed hidden at daycare one day and saw how happily he picked up and encouraged the others to pick up. I praised him for it and told him I needed him to pick up at home as well. He happily agreed, but did not follow through. Finally, I told him either he picked his toys up (and I would help, but not do it for him or do it without him also picking up) or I would throw his toys away. It only took a time or two for him to realize I meant business. Now, when I threw the toys away, I put them in a garbage bag and took it outside. What he didn't know is that I took them to the shed. When he got older he figured it out and I cannot tell you how many trash bags full of toys I have actually carried to the curb and let the trash truck pick up. He still (at 10 years old) has a tendency to be a messy and leave things laying around, but he knows that when I tell him to pick up his stuff, he had better do it or I WILL throw them away. He only loses a few toys a year now rather than a few SACKS full of toys like before. I have also actually sold some of his higher priced toys right in front of him at a yard sale. That REALLY drove it home for him. This may seem mean or harsh, but I rarely step on Legos with bare feet, in the dark anymore. HTH

It's impossible. They just don't get it at this age! My oldest is 7, and she still leaves stuff everywhere! To me, it's just easier to do it myself, than spend all day trying to make the kids do it. Sorry, I'm not much help, if you find something that works, let us know! ;)

I have 3 girls and no matter what we have done their rooms and toy rooms look like a disaster hit. Every weekend they spend most of their time cleaning their toys. I have decreased their toys and put bins everywhere and still nothing. I will keep an eye on this post for any good ideas too.
Good Luck!

Throw them away!!!
No just kidding.
We have even gone as far as taking the toys away and that doesnt affect them after the initial you lost your toys.
Good luck though I will keep watching and see what bright ideas other moms have come up with