Skip to main content

Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Tidy tubs

Someone’s made a mess! Work together to tidy everything off the floor and put it back to where it should be.
Plan a session with this activity

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Sticky tape
  • Sticky tack
  • Pens or pencils
  • A4 paper
  • Three tubs or baskets
  • A variety of items to make a mess

Before you begin

  • Gather clothes (including shoes), toys, and stationery.
  • Make a complete mess of the meeting place – put jumbled up clothes everywhere, take apart toys and games that come apart and spread them around, and empty stationery out of its packaging everywhere.
  • Make labels for the tubs with the pen and paper: ‘Clothes’, ‘Toys and games’, and ‘Stationery’. Stick the labels on with sticky tack or tape.

Time to tidy

  1. The person leading the activity should welcome everyone to the session and carry on as normal without mentioning the mess until someone brings it up or asks why there’s such a mess.

If no one says anything, you could point out that everyone seems distracted looking around, and ask someone what they’re looking at.

  1. The person leading the activity should ask the person who pointed out the mess why it’s important to tidy it away before playing games or doing activities. They may realise that it won’t be safe to run around, that things will be in the way, or that people won’t be able to find anything. 
  2. The person leading the activity should show everyone the labelled tubs. They should explain that if people work together to tidy the room quickly then there’ll be plenty of time to do other activities.

  3. The person leading the activity should explain that for the room to be ‘tidy’, shoes and socks must be in pairs and clothes must be folded neatly in the clothes tub. Toys and games must be all together (without any bits missing or loose) and in the toys and games tub. Stationery must be neatly stacked in the stationery tubs, and everything should be in its packet. Pens should have their lids on. 
  4. The person leading the activity should count down from three. When they reach go, everyone should start tidying. 
  5. As everyone tidies, the person leading the activity should keep an eye out and praise anyone doing an especially good job or working especially well together.

Maybe someone checked that a game had all its pieces before they put the lid on or put it in the tub, or maybe someone took the time to hunt for a missing pen lid. 

  1. Once the whole room is tidy, everyone should sit down. 

The person leading the activity should check that everything ha been put away properly. They should highlight any especially good examples of tidying – and they shouldn’t forget to say thank you and well done!

Reflection

This activity challenged everyone to tidy up the sort of items they may have in their bedrooms at home. Everyone managed it, so now we know that everyone can be independent and tidy up after themselves. Can anyone remember why it’s important to tidy up? People may remember that there’s more room to play, it’s safer, and that you can find things more easily. It’s also a good way to take care of your things and be grateful for them. Does anyone have any good tips for tidying? Maybe some people do a quick tidy every night before bed, or maybe they keep their things in tubs, just like in the game. When people keep their own space tidy it’s really helpful for the grown ups they live with, especially if they’re busy! This week, everyone should try to keep their bedroom tidy. Parents and carers could help people check every day. Everyone could come ready to share how it went next week.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Turn some of the clothes inside out for an extra challenge.

Be aware that some people share a room – they can tidy up their own space or their own toys, and offer to help their sibling. If anyone doesn’t have their own permanent bedroom (for example, if anyone’s in temporary housing) they can help tidy wherever they live.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers My Skills Challenge Award

People could keep a diary for a week and see how long it takes to tidy. Does it take the same every day, or does it take longer at first? Maybe they could take photos to show people. You could also make something to help tidy up such as a decorated pencil pot or a cork noticeboard.