How do I get my boys to pick up their room?
Cleaning their room . . . I will be honest, my boys’ room is clean every night before they go to bed (*with few exceptions).
First, the toys in their room are very limited. Most of our toys are educational & stay in the schoolroom. We have inside toys & outside toys, school toys & room toys - sometimes they rotate around, but generally this helps keep things where they belong. And for the most part the toys in there room stay IN THEIR ROOM! - not all over the house. *this doesn't always happen though.
Since the boys have been little I have given them all the freedom in the world to "play" as imaginatively as possible & overlook the mess . . . until I trip over something or Big Daddy is on his way home.
*If during the day I see things getting out of control I’ll ask them to do a quick 10 second tidy – usually this means each person picks up 10 things that aren’t being played with (sometimes I’ll help).
*It takes Big Daddy an hour to drive home, so about the time I know he is getting off work I begin to prepare the house – including their room. It has become such a routine that they typically don’t argue. The way they pick up varies. Most of the time they do it together. If there is arguing I’ll split the room in sections & each one is responsible for a specific area. Sometimes I will have them clean it in turns. For example – Tyler will being doing other chores & Tucker will be picking up the room. Then they will switch. I never say pick up “what you got out” because that always leads to a fight. The rule is to just pick up. I don’t care who got it out. I don’t need to know who played with it last. Just pick up.
To make it a little fun I will often play music, race them, help them, or give them a treat after it is clean.
Picking up their room is a daily thing. The real cleaning (sorting toys, organizing drawers, dusting, etc.) is done once a month & I typically do it & they help.
All of my kids (even the littlest) are good workers. I think this is because we started so young with them.
Taylor used to have major issues with cleaning her room. I would find things shoved under the bead, dirty clothes in the clean clothes draw, clothes thrown all over the floor, etc. It was much more of a struggle with her. In the beginning, I would clean with her, check on her cleaning processes, & even reward her. I finally just made a checklist describing our standards of a “clean” room & an extra chore was issued for anything not done. She was our oldest in the house & the only one that had their own room, so our expectations were higher.
My best friend has a problem with her daughter getting distracted while cleaning. I think a checklist is still a good option, but I also use timers with my boys or would say “see if you can pick up your room before this song is over” or I would threaten their lives if it wasn’t done. LOL
The focus with their rooms has been more about making the house a joy for their daddy to come home to than it has been anything. They love to please him so typically all I have to say is Daddy’s going to be home soon & it works.
What are your tricks for getting your kids to clean their room?
2 comments:
I don't have a trick. I have a 19 year old with a horribly dirty room! He used to have a play room too so his bedroom stayed pretty clean when he was little. I wish I could turn on music and have him clean now. LOL, and he couldn't care less if his dad is on his way home! :) Oh Well, I keep thinking he'll move out soon and I can clean it up....or replace the carpet.... or burn it...or something! :)
We do much like what you've described here. I have 2 boys (6 & 7) who share a room, and every evening after supper Momma cleans the kitchen and the boys clean their room. In the mornings, one tidys the bathroom, and the other straightens the bedroom. They alternate these 2 chores weekly. That's usually enough to keep it neat. If I hear any arguing at all, I head in with a garbage bag and they know that I'll donate whatever is being fussed over, or whatever isn't being cleaned up.
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