Location: indoor or outdoor

Materials: just the mess you're trying to clean up

Clean up time might not be a favorite among young children, but it can still be a valuable time for learning. One specific early math skill your kids can work on every time they tidy up the classroom is sorting.

Setting this up starts with you, the teacher. Set this up by having specific places for specific types of toys. For example, label the block shelves with which types of blocks go where, divide dinosaurs into one bin, farm animals into another, and people into yet another.

During clean up time remind children to sort and tidy the toys in the correct way. This may initially take longer, but as with almost all things, over time will become routine.