7 Ways to Motivate Kids to Clean Their Rooms

Do you have problems getting your kids to clean their rooms?  I know that I did whenever mine were young.  It seemed like a never-ending battle.  Today, I am featuring a guest blogger, Alex Farley, who has a lot more experience with cleaning that most of us do and we are going to get some really great tips for getting your little one to clean their rooms!
             

It is not easy to involve your children in household chores but it is not a mission impossible. You need to motivate them to turn cleaning duties into an enjoyable activity. Take advantage of my tips and you will see for yourself how beneficial they are.

                                        Ways to motivate kids to clean their rooms

1.  The best way to motivate kids to clean their rooms is to make them feel like they are part of something important. Children love to be appreciated and in charge of something, even something that appears to be insignificant. That is why I truly believe that inspiring kids to take part in  household chores is essential. Cleaning their room, for example, shows children that every member of the family has specific obligations and helping each other actually strengthens the relationship between them.

2. Be an example, don’t be too bossy.
This simple step is important when teaching your children things. It is not a secret that little ones watch what we do more than what we say.  For example , “Clean your room!” will not lead to a positive outcome. If you keep all of your personal belongings in order, if you clean on a regular basis, then you are setting a good example for your children. They see what you do as something necessary and expected.  I found out the hard way that bossiness does not produce  the results you desire. The use of controlling language is not the way to speak to your children if you want to get them to clean their room. Instead of becoming a cleaning dictator, try to be more gentle. Give them confidence and you will notice that this motivates and prepares them to take on cleaning duties and complete them.

3. Make them feel that their room is entirely their own.
Over the years I have come to the conclusion that children are more likely to keep an area clean if they realize it is theirs.  Give them responsibility over keeping it clean and they will put forth the effort to keep it tidy and store things in an orderly manner. You can even buy them a child-sized vacuum cleaner.  They are sure to find vacuuming their own space very entertaining which will make cleaning more fun for them.

4. Make yourself clear when giving orders.
If you say,  “Get your room in order!”,  there is a very big chance that he or she will not understand  exactly what is meant by that. Instead try saying,  “Put your toys in the boxes”, “Put your dirty clothes in the laundry hamper”, “Make your bed”, “Vacuum the carpet.”  You need to be very precise with your instructions. Make a simple task list that your children can follow.   Use drawings for younger children and simple words and sentences for older ones.

5. Have an exact place for each item.
It is much easier when everything has a place. Provide your children with baskets and boxes in which to organize their toys. You can also help them label and paint the containers. Quality time together!

6. Start doing chores together.
Forget about supervising from a distance. Instead take part in cleaning together. Don't expect them to know how to do everything at first;  show them how and where things go.  Once they learn how things are to be done they can clean their room independently. However, cleaning together in a positive manner is a great way to enhance your relationship with your child.

7. Be patient.
Some children may be slow to warm up to the idea of cleaning their room but once they have been taught the how to do it and what you expect,  you will be impressed at how quickly they become independent and responsible.

Teaching children to clean up after themselves not only helps you, the parent, out but also teaches responsibility.  Children need to realize that they cannot play with everything at one time.  Toys should be put away before new ones are taken out to avoid having to spend hours cleaning.  Organization is a skill that will grow with your children and one day they might actually thank you for making them clean their room...one day!