I avoid school aged children so I don't have those issues since my cutoff is JK so I can't help you there. But I do spend my time on inside days running around behind the little ones moving the books back where they should be and the cars over there and the blocks over here, etc. However, I also ask the children to clean up when it gets out of control and give each one a job, one to pick up all the dishes and put them in the shopping cart, one to pick up all the dolls and blankets and put them in the doll buggy, one to put all the cars in the parking garage and so on. It's like a scavenger hunt for them.

One of my tricks is to sit them all at my dining room table in their booster chairs, give one scissors and paper, one has markers and paper, one has pompoms and an ice cube tray and chopsticks, one has a puzzle, one has a big ziplock bag with paint and oil inside, etc. Then after 10 minutes they all switch. They think it's fun when the beeper sounds after 10 minutes and this can use up an hour so quickly with all of them sitting still!