If your preschoolers seem to have a tough time with cleaning up, you need a clean up transition song for preschool routine changes. Reinforcing your classroom routine with predictable transition activities is a great way to ensure smoother transition times.
Using Songs
Cleaning up is never fun for preschoolers, but a catchy little song can make all the difference. Songs at transition times reinforce the routine, and easily lead children into the next activity. Predictable transitions are an important way to ease the anxiety and stress of new situations. When kids follow a routine that is reinforced through transition activities, they are less likely to react to changes in a negative way. Every early childhood teacher should have at least one clean up transition song for preschool routine changes. It just makes life easier!
Time to Clean Up
This little tune lets preschoolers know it’s time to pick up toys and get ready for the next activity of the day. After the kids have finished picking up the toys, they will begin to clap their hands as directed in the song. Your preschoolers are sure to get the job done quickly, so they can clap and go on to something new.
Time to Clean Up (tune of 3 Blind Mice)
Time to clean up!
Time to clean up!
Let’s pick up our toys.
Let’s pick up our toys.
It’s time to switch and do something new.
But we can’t move on when there’s still work to do.
So we’ll pick up our toys and clap our hands too.
Time to clean up.
Time to clean up.
Looking to See
This song is a great method of positive reinforcement. It’s a tried and true favorite of mine. Hold your hand up over your eyes, as if to be looking for something. Then sing the song. Students will join in, and you can be sure they will all start cleaning up, so they can hear their name being sung.
Looking to See
I’m looking to see who’s cleaning up,
I’m looking to see who’s doing their share.
I see that “Julie” is cleaning up,
I see that “Julie” is doing her share.
(repeat, using different names)
Pick Up the Toys
This clean up song is short and sweet, but catchy as well! Sing this transition song when you want to remind your students to pick up the toys so you can move on to another fun activity. This song is easy to learn, and fun to sing. It’s the perfect song to sing when students seem less than enthusiastic about picking up toys at free play.
Pick Up the Toys
Pick up the toys and put em’ where they go,
Time to clean up and go, go, go.
Let’s get ready to have more fun,
So pick up the toys–one by one!
Using a clean up transition song for preschool routine changes make for smoother transitions. Young children rely on having a predictable routine, so using transition songs helps students to recognize the changes that are about to take place. This makes children feel more secure, since they always know what to expect.
