How to Use Your Magical Hand to Get Kids to Pick Up Their Toys (and Other Things)

 

AKA: The Secret Loving Hand Technique

Every parent knows the pain of stepping on a Lego at two in the morning — that sharp, unforgettable reminder that the kids didn’t clean up again. We’ve all been there, asking (or begging) our children to put their toys away, only to find the same mess waiting later.

But what if there were a calmer, more loving way to teach kids responsibility — one that doesn’t involve nagging, yelling, or power struggles?

Over the years, I discovered one of the most effective and heart-centered methods I’ve ever used. I call it the Loving Hand Technique, and it’s all about connection, agreement, and gentle follow-through.

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1. The Two Types of Toys (and Why It Matters)

When it comes to toy clutter, not all toys are created equal. I like to think of them as two types:

Big, Bulky Toys

These are the stuffed animals, guitars, and books — the kind of things that can easily be tossed into a toy box or kept neatly in a playroom.
If your toy box is overflowing, don’t just buy a bigger one. Instead, rotate or donate some of the toys.

Create a fun nightly routine to make cleanup part of the day — I like to call it a “pick-up party.” Before bed, everyone joins in, music playing, and together you get everything off the floor. It doesn’t really matter who picks up what — what matters is that it gets done, together.

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Chaos Toys

These are the sets with a hundred tiny pieces — Legos, doll accessories, or building kits. They’re the toys that can turn your floor into a minefield, and they’re the hardest for kids to manage.

Here’s the key: these toys should not be freely available all the time. Instead, keep them in a closet or on a high shelf, and have your child ask for permission before taking one down.

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2. Setting Clear Rules for Chaos Toys

When your child asks to play with a set, take it down yourself and use the moment to set expectations.

Say something like:

“Okay, before we play, let’s talk about the rules for this toy set. What do we do when we’re done playing?”

Coach them into saying:

“I have to pick up all the pieces when I’m finished.”

Then smile and affirm:

“That’s exactly right, honey! I love that you know how to take care of your toys.”

Once they’ve agreed, let them play freely. When they finish — and forget to clean up (which they will!) — that’s your moment to step in with calm guidance.

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3. The Loving Hand Technique

This is where the magic happens.

When your child walks away from a mess, don’t say a word. Instead, quietly find them, gently place your hand on the middle of their back, and guide them back to where the toys are scattered.

No lectures.
No frustration.
Just calm, silent direction.

Look at them with warmth, guide them to the toys, and walk away.

The silence speaks louder than any words.

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If They Resist

If your child pulls away or refuses, stay quiet. Simply pick up the toys yourself and put them away indefinitely.

Later, if they ask to play again, calmly explain:

“I was disappointed last time because the toys weren’t picked up. That set is in time-out for now.”

Let natural consequences do the teaching.

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If They Have a Meltdown

Sometimes, they’ll see the mess and collapse in frustration. That’s okay. Let the meltdown happen, stay calm, and walk away. You’re teaching self-regulation by modeling it.

If they start to pick up and then walk away halfway through, quietly finish the task yourself and put the set away for a while.

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If They Ask for Help

If they say, “Mom, will you help me?” — go for it! Working together builds teamwork and makes the task feel less overwhelming.
When you’re done, thank them for helping:

“Thanks for being my cleanup partner — that was great teamwork!”

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4. Using It Beyond Toys

Once you’ve mastered this approach with toys, you can apply it to almost any daily task:

• Hanging up backpacks after school

• Putting shoes in the closet

• Bringing dishes to the sink

• Clearing homework off the table

Start by making a clear, loving agreement:

“Hey buddy, we have a new rule for your backpack. What is it?”
“It goes on the hook when I get home!”

Then, the first time they forget, don’t talk — simply guide them back with your hand on their back and point to the backpack.

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5. Why the Back?

The middle of the back is a neutral, calming place. You’re not grabbing their arm or pulling them along — you’re gently guiding them with love.

And yes, they’ll probably protest at first! My kids used to say:

“Dad! Don’t touch me! Just tell me what you want me to do!”

But over time, they began to understand what that gentle touch meant: a reminder to follow through on what they’d already agreed to do.

Agreement → Follow-through → Loving Hand → No Talking.
That’s the cycle.

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6. The Moment It Came Full Circle

One day, my son used my own technique on me — and I’ll never forget it.

I was packing for a conference and had walked out of my bedroom, forgetting to turn off the light. My preteen son noticed the light on and decided to “parent” me.

He found me in the living room, leaned in with that familiar look, and gently placed his hand on my back. Without a word, he guided me back to my room, pointed to the light switch, and walked away with a triumphant grin.

I burst out laughing — and felt so proud.

He had learned the lesson so deeply that he used it on me, and in that moment, I realized something powerful: our kids imitate the parenting we model.

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7. The Gift That Keeps Giving

Today, my children are grown with families of their own — and I see them using the same gentle guidance with their kids.

There’s no better reward than watching positive parenting ripple through generations.

When we lead with love, patience, and consistency, our children don’t just follow directions — they carry those lessons forward, creating calmer, more respectful homes of their own.

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Final Thought

The Loving Hand Technique isn’t just about toys or chores. It’s about teaching follow-through, respect, and connection — all without a single harsh word.

Try it this week. Stay silent, stay loving, and use that gentle hand on the back.

You’ll be amazed at how much more cooperation — and peace — shows up in your home. Everything I wrote in this post is absolutely true! As I stated, the best gift is watching your kids immitate you at first, then develop these skills into their adulthood.

Below is a free link to the handout I created you can downoad with all the details and more, to help you adjust and begin the process of using the loving hand to get your kids to do what you need them to do. Go to this link: https://payhip.com/b/jlhY7 to download it for FREE.

Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now

A scarecrow and corn theme is perfect in the fall! Our new unit has Montessori-inspired activities using free scarecrow and corn printables along with a new Montessori-inspired scarecrow and corn pack for subscribers to our free newsletter at Living Montessori Now! 

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through early elementary throughout the year in my previous PreK + K Sharing posts. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a page with lots and lots of free printables.

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with Scarecrow and Corn Themed Activities

Montessori Shelves with Scarecrow and Corn Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired scarecrow and corn themed numbers, letters, and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

 

Go to my Free Scarecrow and Corn Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities at Living Montessori Now for the free printables and activity ideas you see on the shelf and collage above!

Free Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Pack

Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Activities

You can see many scarecrow and corn books here: Scarecrow Books for Kids and Corn Books for Kids (including books as they’re published).

• Free Scarecrow Printables and Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow Activities (completely different activities to give you more options!)
• Free Fall Scavenger Hunt Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities (includes some scarecrow activities)
• Free Fall Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time (includes some scarecrow songs)
• Montessori-Inspired Corn Unit
• How to Use Flint Corn (Ornamental Corn) for Montessori Practical Life and Language Work
• Corn Unit Study Pinterest Board

If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout October and November, see my October Themed Activities for Kids. and my November Themed Activities for Kids.

Be sure to go to my Free Scarecrow and Corn Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities for lots of free printables and activity ideas.

 

I hope you're having a fun fall!

  

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 50 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live).

 

Six Laws about Kids That Parents Need to Accept

Much of the frustration we experience with our children’s behavior is caused by a lack of understanding kids.  Expanding our thinking about our children and accepting some basic, rudimentary facts will help us change the way we see their behavior and also change our behavior as a parent.  We will be much more successful as caregivers if we see the world from our child’s point of view.  Here are six irrefutable laws about kids that will change the way we use discipline.

They Live Only In The Moment.  Whatever the young child happens to be doing at the moment is his entire
world.  His full attention and focus is on the activity in front of him and he is usually unable to think about anything else unless another activity offers more incentive than the current activity.

What Adults Can Do: 

• Establish rules prior to the start of each activity
• Use visual timers to create limits for some activities
• Be patient when moving him from one activity to another
• Point out “what’s in it for him” in the next activity

They Don’t Care About Order and Cleanliness.  It drives us crazy when our child won’t pick up her toys when she’s finished playing with them, or when she’s thirteen and seems perfectly fine living in a bedroom that is in total disarray.  Forcing her to clean things up by yelling and punishing doesn’t work and can harm our relationship with her.

What Adults Can Do:

• Relax and make cleanup fun
• Demonstrate excitement when it does occur
• Set up agreements prior to the start of an activity
• If the child doesn’t follow thru, guide them back silently and respectfully

They Get Frustrated Very Easily.  There are a few things that cause children to become frustrated, resulting in

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tantrums and meltdowns; wanting to be just like us and do what we do, becoming easily overcome by the physical effects of fatigue, hunger, and illness, and a lack of firm and consistent boundaries.  When we say, “No cookies before dinner,” and then give in, we are actually teaching them to have meltdowns to get us to give in more often.

What Adults Can Do:

• Be patient and help them address what is causing the frustration
• Detach from their emotion and be there with them in silence
• Let them be frustrated without reprimanding or sending them to timeout
• Avoid caving in to their demands to break a boundary or limit

They Learn By Testing Our Boundaries.  One day,  when my daughter was a preschooler, I drew a chalk line across the driveway to mark the farthest point she could ride her new tricycle to keep her a safe distance from the street.  I explained to her the consequence of breaking this boundary was the loss of her tricycle for the remainder of the day.  With a twinkle in her eye, she crossed the line one day to see what I would do.  Immediately, I silently and gently took her tricycle from her and hung it on a hook in the garage.  It broke my heart to watch her cry, but she didn’t get it back until the following day.

What Adults Can Do:

• Accept children’s testing as normal and not misbehavior
• Set clear and consistent boundaries and keep them in place
• Create consequences that are related to the infraction
• React without emotion and in silence

They Need to Feel Powerful.  Every human strives to feel a sense of power and value within the social unit to

which they belong.  Employees work more collaboratively when they clearly know what their role is on a work team, athletes perform better when they know what position they play on the sports team, and children become more cooperative when they feel a sense of power in the family or the classroom.  A successful leader as a manager, a coach, a parent, or a teacher helps the members of the social unit feel powerful in appropriate ways.

What Adults Can Do:

• Provide appropriate ways for children to feel powerful
• Allow the child to teach the adult something
• Find creative ways to allow the child to be the boss of something
• Let the child take a turn at being the family meeting facilitator

They Don’t Always Like Their Playmate or Sibling.  When a playmate begins to hit another child, it is basically a message to the caregiver that she has had enough of the other child.  Because of their egocentric point of view, small children do not naturally like to share and they also see the other child as a threat to the supply of love and attention they receive from the adult caregivers.

What Adults Can Do:

• Avoid putting a child in timeout for hitting or not getting along
• Use modeling to teach small children how to share, not by force
• Be sure that adult relationships around the child demonstrate kindness
• Allow each child to have alone time away from playmates or siblings

What I Loved About the RCB Parent Education Program

There are really good parent education programs, and then there are some with good intentions but containing misguided information. I have personally attended many myself or obtained the instructor's manual from others. Having authored my own, the Love, Limits & Lessons parenting course and instructor training course, I don't hold back on offering my opinion.

This brings me to one of the first ones I attended, way back in 1995. I was looking for parenting help as a father who didn't have a positive role model when I was growing up. I attended the Redirecting Children's Behavior (RCB) course for instructors in Tampa, FL, created by Kathryn Kvols. It instantly changed the way I parented my children and enhanced my relationship with my three.

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What I loved most about this course was how I had learned to, as Kathryn said, PAUSE BEFORE I PARENTED. The course taught me to stop and think about how my emotion in the moment may impact how I'm about to parent. It made me realize that in that moment, I was able to see my child's behavior in a different light.

Another thing I loved was what timeout should really look like. I liked that I had to know when I needed a timeout before my child did.  There are moments in every parent’s journey when patience feels paper-thin—the morning rush, the endless bedtime routine, or the meltdown in the grocery store aisle.

You love your child deeply, but in those seconds, your calm starts to fray.  That’s often when we instinctively send our children to a timeout.  But here’s something powerful to consider: before teaching your child about timeouts, you might need to take one yourself.

The Lesson They’re Really Learning

Children learn far more from what we do than what we say. When we step back, take a deep

breath, and give ourselves a moment to reset, we show our children what emotional regulation looks like in action. It tells them: “Big feelings are okay. What matters is how we handle them.”

Timeouts—for parents and children alike—aren’t about punishment. They’re about creating space for calm and connection to return.

What a Parent Timeout Looks Like

Your version of a timeout doesn’t have to be elaborate or long. It might be stepping onto the porch for a breath of fresh air. Sitting quietly in your favorite chair, face in your hands, collecting your thoughts. Closing your eyes and silently reminding yourself, “This is hard, but I can handle it.” These moments of pause aren’t about giving up—they’re about grounding yourself before you guide your child.

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Helping Your Child Do the Same

When you model calm, your child learns calm. Try reframing “timeout” in your home as a “calm-down break.” You might say, “We both need a minute to cool off. Let’s take our time, and then we’ll talk.” By doing this, you’re teaching your child that: Emotions are temporary. Breaks are healthy. Love and connection remain steady, even when tempers flare. Over time, this builds emotional intelligence and resilience—skills that serve children for a lifetime.

A New Way to See Timeout

Imagine your child looking through the window and seeing you take a quiet moment—not in defeat, but in self-care. That image is more powerful than a thousand lessons.  Parenting isn’t about perfection. It's important to demonstrate to our children that we are also learning how to navigate life's challenges with grace.

Final Thought

Before guiding your child through their next timeout, pause and ask yourself, “Do I need one, too?” Sometimes the most powerful parenting starts not with control, but with calm.

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A Fun Way of Expressing Love to Your Child: Do This and Watch The Transformation

Love Notes Between Parents and Kids: A Simple Practice That Transforms Families

In the rush of daily life, parents often find themselves scrambling to meet deadlines, manage schedules, and simply keep the household running. But amid the chaos, there lies an opportunity to create something deeply meaningful: a practice of writing love notes between parents and children. This small but powerful ritual has the potential to nurture emotional health, deepen family bonds, and create a home atmosphere rooted in love and connection.

Why Love Notes Matter

Children thrive when they feel loved, seen, and valued. A regular love note practice reinforces these feelings in a tangible way. For some parents—especially those who struggle to express emotions verbally—writing love notes can become a safe, thoughtful channel to communicate affection.

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How I Came Up With The Idea of the Love Note Book

During a family meeting when our three children were 7, 9 and 12, I introduced the exercise of writing each other notes of encouragement or love. At first, our oldest thought it was dumb, but when she saw that the two little ones were eating it up, she got on board. The kids loved it and didn't want the exercise to stop. I brought a package of brown lunch bags to the meeting and had everyone decorate their own love bag, along with writing their name on it (I still have mine all wrinkled and very used, in a keepsake box in my closet). 

I gave each person a small notepad and told them to write at least one word on a slip that would make the other person feel loved or encouraged. They would then go around the table and deposit the handwritten notes in the appropriately marked love bag. This is a variation of an exercise I've used with my work teams. During the work exercise, participants wrote down contributions that each person made to strengthen the team or enhance the enjoyment of working together.

Later that night following the family meeting, when my wife and I went to bed, we found our new "mail bags" outside of our room, stuffed with folded-up notes addressed to each of us. We had so much fun reading them and then responding to each one with our written replies. Keep in mind that we found the kids' love bags sitting on the floor outside each of their rooms. So before we went to sleep, we dropped notes to each one of them in their love bags.

This practice went on as the kids grew up, and it gave me the idea that we would write love notes to each other in specially marked notebooks. And the books could then be swapped back and forth with each person every day. That means each person would have their own love notebook.

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Emotional Health Benefits

• Learning that love is safe to express: Children absorb lessons about emotions by observing and participating in family patterns. A love note habit teaches them that sharing feelings is not only acceptable but celebrated.

• Feeling truly cherished: Seeing heartfelt words in writing can make love feel concrete and enduring. For a child, the phrase “I’m proud of you” in ink might become something they revisit again and again, long after it was written.

• Strengthening family resilience: Love notes can be especially powerful during difficult times. They serve as gentle reminders that even when life feels chaotic, love remains a constant anchor.

Strengthening the Family Atmosphere

This practice does more than impact individual children—it shapes the emotional climate of the home.

• Fostering closeness: Passing notes back and forth invites moments of connection in an otherwise busy week.

• Encouraging gratitude and kindness: Children who receive written affirmations are more likely to express their own appreciation in return, creating a positive feedback loop.

• Building lasting family traditions: Love notebooks can become treasured keepsakes, preserving a record of shared growth, joys, and challenges over time.

The One-Notebook-Per-Child Practice

One particularly effective approach is to create a “love notebook” for each child. This is a dedicated notebook that is passed back and forth between parent and child, filled with hand-written notes, drawings, or even pasted-in mementos. Over time, it becomes a living document of affection.

How It Works:

1. Choose a special notebook: Let your child pick one they like so it feels personal.

2. Write the first note: Start with something simple and heartfelt. “I love how curious you are,” or “I’m so proud of you for helping your brother today.”

3. Leave it somewhere they will find it: On their pillow, at their spot at the breakfast table, or tucked into their backpack.

4. Invite them to respond: Encourage your child to write or draw something back when they’re ready.

5. Keep it consistent: Make this a regular ritual—weekly or biweekly works well for many families.

This method works beautifully because it creates a tangible, ongoing exchange that belongs to both parent and child. It becomes a private, sacred space for affirmations, encouragement, and even apologies or difficult conversations when needed.

Love Note Prompt Ideas

To help families get started, here are some gentle prompts for parents and children to use. These can spark ideas and make the practice less intimidating.

For Parents to Write to Children

• “One thing I love about who you are becoming is…”

• “I noticed you tried really hard at ___ this week, and I’m proud of you.”

• “When I think about you, I feel grateful for…”

• “This week you made me smile when you…”

• “One of my favorite memories of us is…”

• “If you were a superhero, your power would be… and here’s why.”

For Children to Write to Parents

• “Thank you for helping me with…”

• “I felt really happy when we…”

• “One thing I think you are great at is…”

• “I like when you tell me stories about…”

• “If I could plan a day for us, we would…”

• “This made me laugh today, and I wanted to share it with you…”

For Everyone

• “My favorite thing about our family right now is…”

• “Something that made me feel loved this week was…”

• “One thing I want to do together soon is…”

These prompts don’t need to be followed exactly. Their purpose is to inspire heartfelt communication, whether through words, drawings, or even stickers and doodles.

Tips for Parents to Encourage the Habit

• Make it playful: Love notes don’t have to be serious. Silly drawings, jokes, or riddles keep the exchange fun and inviting.

• Celebrate effort, not just achievement: Praise kindness, perseverance, and curiosity—not only grades or accomplishments.

• Model vulnerability: Share your own feelings in writing. “I felt really proud watching you at the recital,” or “I was sad when we argued, but I love you no matter what.”

• Be consistent, not perfect: Even if life gets busy and you miss a week, pick it up again. The consistency over time matters more than a flawless schedule.

• Include both parents if possible: When both caregivers contribute, the notebook reflects the whole family’s love and support.

A Legacy of Love

Years from now, these notebooks will tell a story—one not just of childhood, but of a family that prioritized love and connection. When your child looks back, they won’t just see the words you wrote. They’ll remember how those words made them feel: loved, secure, and deeply connected to you.