Making Cleanup Time Joyful With the Messy Monster Game

In early childhood classrooms, even everyday routines like cleaning up can become opportunities for play, make-believe, and shared responsibility. In Monster Cleanup, the teacher has a chance to step into character and transform a mundane task into a game that invites laughter, creativity, and teamwork.

At The Co-op School in Brooklyn, New York, teacher Laura Scatena-Romero turns cleanup time into a performance for her 4-year-old students. She plays a grumpy “monster” who hates clean rooms and loves messes. And since children delight in outsmarting a villain, when the monster pretends to fall asleep, that’s the cue. Students leap into action, gathering scattered toys and supplies as quietly and quickly as they can. Occasionally the monster stirs and wonders, “What is that noise?” or “Are you guys cleaning?” Students freeze in place and insist that no one is ruining the monster’s beloved mess. But once the monster goes back to sleep, the cleaning continues. The pattern repeats until the room is tidy and the kids emerge triumphant.

Through this game, students stay engaged in the chore while learning to follow routines, collaborate with their classmates, and take pride in caring for their environment. “It’s them taking a leadership role of cleaning up and taking care of our classroom and materials,” Scatena-Romero explains. The game also helps build self-regulation skills, as students follow cues and work together toward a shared goal.

By infusing joy and imagination into a classroom task, this cleanup game demonstrates the power of using creative teaching strategies to foster community. For young learners, the opportunity to play while working builds a positive association with responsibility—and shows that even tidying up can be fun.

To learn more about games that support learning, build classroom community, and develop social and emotional skills for students, check out the many articles that Child’s Play NY founder Jocelyn Greene has written for Edutopia.