Straighten up
The resistance to tidying up rarely lives in the picking-up itself. It lives in the moment when play has to end. The visual support below targets exactly that shift.
♀Tidy up
A girl tidies up toys into a box.
♀Tidy up
A girl tidying up toys in a box.
About this visual support
Tidying after play is really two things colliding: a fun moment that isn't finished, and a task that needs focus. That is why a short outburst tends to land right when you announce it. The child doesn't hear the tidying as the problem. It hears that play has to stop.
A visual schedule gives the child something to look at instead of something to listen to. When the picture of scattered toys is already on the table, the next step has a shape, and that small delay softens the interruption. Many children manage the move from playing to putting away once the transition has a visible edge. One practical idea: place the tidy-up card in view when play begins, so it never arrives as a surprise.
If you want to take the routine further, Routined lets you string steps together with a calm timer that shows exactly how long the tidy-up window lasts.