How on earth do you get a kid to clean their own room, and then even better keep it clean? Now if you are one of those lucky parents who have a child who loves to clean and organize then you are set, but if you are like the other 99% of us this is going to take some work.
Kids are natural organizers. They start by stacking bricks, sorting shapes and grouping colors. Well what does this have to do with cleaning? Well you can use the same strategies that you have used to help your child learn their shapes for cleaning. You have to have a plan. You need to start with an organized space. Then you teach them where everything goes.
As children are naturally eager to please their parents, the sooner you start your cleaning routine, and involve your kiddos, the more likely it will catch on and they will not only clean their room on their own, but they will keep it clean and organized as well.
If you think it is a lost cause then think again. Using the strategies below you can get back on top of it.
Rearrange the Bedroom
This is a great way to get your little ones involved and excited (plus you can clean up under the bed while you are at it).
Guide the rearranging so that it makes sense, don’t just say where you would like your bed…give recommendations that will help make the room cozy, inviting, as well as easy to keep in order.
Place shelves where they can be reached so that toys and nicknacks can be placed in a pleasing array, while making sure that the items can be used, but also put back in their place.
Create a reading nook next to a bookshelf…even just a bean bag or some oversized pillow makes a great space to plop down and read a good book.
Rotate the closet, and keep it fresh. Kids do not need 500 shirts, 20 pairs of shoes and so on. It just makes for more clutter, so as the various items become out of date, get them out of the closet.
Rotate toys on a monthly basis, put unused items on the top shelf of the closet, and then once a month pull that basket out, and surprise! New toys, have your child pick a few items that want and then the rest and rinse and repeat. The bonus of this is that less toys floating around means less clutter and less time spent picking up, or looking for something.
Create a Routine
On a daily basis, make sure that laundry is going into the proper bin, and pick up shoes and toys.
Once a week, refresh bedding and discard socks with holes, and pants that are turning into floods.
Once a month: closet reset, pull out a minimum of 4 items that haven’t been worn in the last 6 months. Remove broken toys and unused gadgets.
Always clean as you go. 5 minutes a day keeps the dust bunnies at bay!