Mystery Piece

This is something I saw done in a classroom when I was student teaching. Now I use it with my kids at home. We call it the Mystery Piece. It’s amazing how quickly a room can be picked up with a little fun and motivation! My kids seriously scramble around and clean up in about three minutes. My 3-year-old even asks if they can please clean up his bedroom and the kitchen too!

1. Choose which room you need picked up miraculously fast.
2. Pick one item in the room (without telling the kids what it is!) to be your Mystery Piece.
3. Our rule is that things have to be put away where they belong  Not just thrown into another room. I help clean up too.
4. Whoever picks up the Mystery Piece gets a small reward. We have done:
   • an M&M or little treat
   • they get to choose the next activity
   • a point, a sticker or whatever your incentives are at the time.
5. Helps
   • They know we won’t find out what the Mystery Piece is until the entire room is picked up.
   • It helps to say “Ooh, it’s looking good, but nobody has found the Mystery Piece yet!”