What is the best way to get children to clean their rooms?
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M$5 Answers
I don't have a problem with your "Personally, I am about ready to throw all of their stuff out in the yard or in the trash," although you may want to put them in storage, let the kids earn their things back... just an idea.
As far as the food messes around the house... My mom used to say, "No meals on wheels- eat in the dining room at the table or you don't eat." Ask the kids to pick up their mess... or it will end up in their beds... and they can wash their own sheets... You may need to modify this one, but it's an idea.
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M$The other thing that works with my kids is a co-op approach. I help them clean thier room and make a game out of it. Example: I will clean this part and you clean that part and we will see who wins. or: I hand them everything and they have to put it away as quickly as possible. We call this game "Speed Cleaning"
Find what works for your children. Be patient, somedays its just not going to work. Good luck and have fun.
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M$
The Flylady will tell you that first you really need to train them. This means working alongside them many times, showing them what you expect, and how you want the various jobs done. You should have a system to follow that they learn. And you do it repeatedly with them because it takes many repetitions for a child to remember anything, whether it's math facts or that you want take everything off a surface first before dusting it.
Once you've spent the time training them, then it's a matter of expectations and motivations, and this should be part of a consistent parenting approach. You can have it be part of a daily or weekly schedule, where they get up, straighten rooms/make bed, and then go shower and dress, and then neatening up again at night. You could hang privileges on it-- no playing until it's done, or tie it to a chore/allowance system.
Room cleaning really does go beyond just having a halfway-decent space so no one's embarrassed when friends come over (yours or theirs). It's also about learning life skills and developing character qualities.
I'm including some links that I found a couple of years ago when I was setting up a system for my own kids. All of them are useful. Hopefully you can find the system that works for you!
http://www.housefairy.org/ -- Great website; best for ages 2-10
http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlyBaby_Children.asp all kinds of great tips here, but to get the best results, read her site or subscribe.
http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1150 Managers of their Chores--helps you set up a great system. I like that they actually wear their Chore Cards, so there isn't a lot of running into the kitchen to check the cart to see what to do next...which often turns into messing around.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
