How do I get 2 of the most hardheaded children to clean their room?

Answer 1

When my girls have their room so completely overrun that I can't even walk in there - I forbid them from everything until it's clean. Neighbor comes over to play - nope, sorry. Phone rings - sorry, she can't talk right now. No tv, no computer - nothing.

And when that doesn't work. Hey, they know that I've got an ebay store. I give them a time frame. Whatever they don't feel like putting away - is telling me that they don't really want it anymore so I have every right to get rid of it.

They do know that the only exception to this is their American Girl dolls. But, they do take really good care of them anyways.

With 5 children who get too many toys as gifts, the only way to get anything done around here is to put my foot down. I just tell them - "Sorry, you don't have time to clean your room, I don't have time to take you anywhere today..." Or "sorry, you didn't feel like cleaning your room and earning the money for your friends' birthday party present, I don't have the time to take you to the party..."

Answer 2

You don't say how old these children are so I'm going to see if I can help. If the children are say 3 to 6 at first you are going to have to help them. Show them how you want it done several times and then start letting them do small pieces of the work by themselves. Be sure to use lots of praise along the way. By 6 they should know what you want so now you should say okay on Saturday you must clean your room. Make this an every weed chore, I f you give an allowance remind them that this is one of the chores they get paid to do and if they do not do it subtract a portion of their allowance. Now we come to the really hard age. TEENAGERS What can make a stubborn teen clean his or her bedroom. Not much! You could threaten to do it for them. Which would mean anything not in its proper place would be trash. You could ground them and withhold allowance however none of these things are guaranteed to work. If this happens shut the door to the bedroom and tell them that they cannot have overnight guests until the room is clean. This way at least you don't have to see the mess and neither will anyone else. Hope this helps. Good Luck

Answer 3

Send them to clean give a time limit, we use a timer that is set s they can hear it go off also, and this is what my hubby did. We had begged and plead bribed thearthen and nothing was working. He went in saw the room was a mess and picked up a toy and tossed it out the window and put it in the trash. He said he would be in in an hour and if the room was still a mess that he would help clean it by tossing another out, and that no returns was allowed. The toy was not a good toy but it inspired my children. Try it and see.

Answer 4

Put up a small poster on the inside of the door. Write down what must be done every day. Make a list. and use the "If, Then" contract at the bottom.

If on monday, themonday list is not complete by 5:00pm, you will have no television for one week even if you get it done by 6:00.

If the list for Tuesday is not finished by 5:00pm, your phone priv. will be removed for one week. even if you get it finished by 6:00

If the list for Wednesday is not finished by 5:00, you will not play outside your bedroom on Saturday, from 7 in the morning until 6: in the evening. You will be able to use the restroom, and you will have lunch and dinner brought to you. There will be no television, no radio,no phone for that 24 hour period, no games, nothing but books and paper.

Guaranteed your problem will be solved in 10 days, assuming you do not give in. And, leave the list there, and the list is permanent. It requires, however that you be dilligent, and hard nosed. Crying won't help. Just look at th kid and say, " gee, I'm so sorry. What is it that you didn't understand about these requirements? What is it that you didn't understand about no phone, no television, no friends over, and no going outside" And stick to your list...... I works --- every single time......

Answer 5

not 'hardheaded'...freespirited!

Depends on the age. I love bribery and making a game. Games work for little kids (like race to see who can clean their room the fastest, you included) and hard cold bribs work on older ones. My kids are 6&7 and I stock up on chuckEcheese tokens. Everytime I pass their room and they are cleaning or it is kept clean, they get a token, at the end of the week we go spend what they have...no extras, no pizza or crap, just the tokens they've earned. All it will take is for one child to have more than the other and they'll be busy bees the next week!

Answer 6

I give a small reward if my son cleans his room once a week. If he chooses not to cooperate for a couple weeks or so, then I go in with a trash bag and act like I might throw some of his stuff away. He starts cleaning immediately then. My sister-in-law gets her son to clean his room by telling him he will lose PlayStation or television privileges. My best friend spanks her kids, but I don't like that approach. I don't believe in spanking or hollering at my son when he doesn't want to clean his room. I think that kind of negativity makes kids not want to clean even more and it makes them so fussy. But, different things work for different kids. Heck, different things work for the same kid, depending on what day it is. LOL

Answer 7

first,
clean it with them and encourage them to donate throw out anything that they don't want don't wear or doesn't belong.

show them where their things belong. make sure that this activity takes a long time and have a pleasant "i'm just teaching you how i want you to do it" attitude. when everything is in it's place ask your child (handle each one separately) if they believe they understand where everything goes and what your expectations are.

then:
tell them that whenever something is out of order or after their room is supposed to be cleaned, anything found under the bed, on the floor (you set up the rules) will be donated to Good Will.

then: do it. donate the stuff that isn't put away properly. I can promise you that they will be angry but they will never forget that lesson. oh, and make sure that they see you donate it.
sure you might have to donate something expensive but give them the option of asking for it again for Christmas. (absolutely never ever give in or they have trained you.) always remind them that they were warned and that they told you they could handle it.

best wishes to you and enjoy your clean house.

Answer 8

I liked most of these answers, but whatever you do be CONSTANT. Make sure you clean it with them and start out on a clean slate. After that, make sure you keep checking on how clean it is. You know they are going to mess it up again. So Take everything out of their room. After all its not your fault, you warned them. Do not give things back 'till they keep their room clean for 3 weeks (depending on the age of the child). Those 3 weeks are going to be hell. So be mentally prepared for it. LOL. Or you may give it back little by little leaving what they like the most for last.

Answer 9

when they are gone start cleaning and giving away their stuff and only leave the nessecary items that they need. The law only states they need food, clothes, and shelter....they didn't say they need games, toys, stereos, movies, tvs, ect...and tell them if they complain that since they don't know how to take care of the things they have and appreciate them enough to pick them up and clean up then they don't deserve them. And if they want new things or their things back they will have to learn to respect what they have now which is a bed to sleep in, clothes on their back, food in their stomach, and the roof over their heads. It's hard but, worked for me and I'm 24yrs. old with my first baby on the way.

Answer 10

You can put all their toys or whatever's on the floor into a laundry basket, or two (depends how many toys are on the floor) and have them sort it out. It's easier because it takes less time and they just have to sort out everything in the basket. give them a reward and a punishment. No tv until your room is clean, double allowance if they clean it. It would help if I knew how old they were, but I'm trying my best here.