Kids and room cleaning?

Question

Any suggestions on getting my 6 and 3 year old boys to clean their room. I have given them time limits to get it done and even gone in there with a trash bag and put stuff in it. At this point I am ready to take every single thing out of their room. Any ideas?

Answer 1

I'd recommend two things - first making sure every toy etc. has a 'home' so it's clear where your boys should be putting things. Then I'd let them know that if you have to pick up their stuff, you will be putting it away (basement, attic, trunk of car) for a period of time until they are ready to take care of it. You could put it away for 1 week, a couple of days - depend on how quickly it will take for them to miss and for the lesson to be learned. If they don't learn quickly, they will run out of toys to mess the room with. Before you get to that point, you can also try making a game out of it "who can put 5 things on the bookcase" - who can find 3 socks and put them in the hamper" etc. Good luck!

Answer 2

I cleaned there room a few times and that meant biting down and throwing away the stuff the loved the most. Now they do it on there own it takes time. With my daughter I put her in the corner when she refused and there was times she was there for 30 mins. cause she didn't wanna clean. Now she will sit in the corner for about 2 mins. before she decides she wants to clean. Good luck try different things just depends what works for your kids. I also had the problem with them putting things under bed and where they don't belong. I go in the when they are done and throw anything in the middle of room that isn't where it belongs and they hated that. So now 15 mins it is spotless the way I like it.

Answer 3

At that age they still need guidance on all the decision making involved in cleaning their room. Unfortunately, I've learned, you have to do it together and talk about it. It helps if the room has organized areas, like the game area, the art area, the book area. As you pick something up, say, hmmm, now where would this paint brush go to be with other things like it? Or say, next time you're looking for this dinosaur, where would you look for it? Try to make it fun and then when it's done, point out how awesome it is to have a clean room and to be able to find things and have clear spaces to play in. My daughter is 13 and only recently able to do it on her own.

Answer 4

Plan a fun activity for afterwards, let them know that when it's done it will be time. Have six year old stay in there till it is clean no matter what. What are you doing picking it up for them? Your reinforcing bad behavior. no food, no nap, no play till clean. leave door open so you know what is being done, keep checking and remind he don't come out till done.
Best if you have them in sepperate rooms, but same if not. with three year old, help him pick up his own mess. Don't do it for him, but guide him through, a bit young to go at it on his own. Make a game of it. Likely he'll get right to work and get it done. let him do the fun time, even if the older isn't done. remind that when he's done he can come have fun too. no matter how long it takes let the fun begin when it's done.

Answer 5

They are rather young, so may I suggest you make a "game" out of it? Go in each bedroom, one at a time, and (I trust you have bins for them to put their stuff in), help them. See who can put the toys in the bins the quickist. Please, give them a reward for a good job done-they things are in their bins! Please, don't be a perfectionist about it either. Also, have you considered giving them a weekly allowance? Yes, money. 50 cents a week. And maybe teach them one toy at a time (if it's army toys-that is a whole set) at a time. Has to be put away before they can play with another toy. Children learn by example the best. When I was growing up, at least at age 10 or maybe before, I got an allowance each week. $1.50-I had chores-clean my room, clean the bathroom. But for your little ones, keeping their rooms decent, and putting their things away, is what really matters. Maybe they can help you around the house-setting the table at dinner? Simple, easy things. And, if they do help you-please raise their allowance to one dollar a week-each. And, at ftheir young age, maing the bed can be as easy as just puling the covers up, not a really good job like they will learn later. I hope this helps. Take care. .

Answer 6

If they can't clean there rooms in a timely matter then I would indeed start taking things away such as tv time or a favorite game and take it away until there are signs of improvment with the next cleaning. Maybe you can make things alittle tougher for your 6 year old then the 3 year old he is still little but he still needs to learn to be responsible and it is imprtant to do this early on. I have a daycare and we start as young as 2.

Answer 7

Don't lean too hard on the 3-year-old - he's probably too young to start cleaning his room.

My 6-year-old daughter only started cleaning her room once she had some music going in there - it helped relieve the boredom that all kids have with tidying. That and no treats until she did it!

Answer 8

When my kids were smaller, I also had a hard time teaching them to clean their rooms and they were even girls, but I play with them. I told them that if they help me finish up their room then we can play later on. It always work because they love to play with me.

Answer 9

ok...i trust for you...has it occured to you that they might no longer have the skills to do what you're watching for? i grow to be interior of an similar difficulty with my 7 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous and when I were given soooo frusterated faster or later I escorted him to his room to "watch" how precisely he grow to be making his mattress and the position he grow to be putting his toys and sources. I felt terrible! the following i grow to be all this time getting disappointed with him, doing away with privilages at the same time as all alongside...he grow to be fairly attempting his maximum ideal. So, for type of two weeks, I wiped clean WITH him. to exhibit him the thanks to tug his comforter precise, the position precisely to placed his video games, toys etc. Then, when I felt smooth sufficient that he grow to be "in a position" to do it independantly....I made a record and printed it interior his closet door... a million. Make my mattress 2. Fluff my pillows and placed my crammed animals precise on my mattress. 3. deliver my dirty clothing to the downstairs impede. 4. placed all my toys precise in the toy bin. 5. make certain each and everything is in that is position. 6. close the gentle in my room. This worked. It obviously confirmed him what I anticipated from him. cleansing his room is not any issue lately yet boy grow to be it frusterating to stroll right into a messy room at the same time as he informed me it grow to be already sparkling. So, attempt this. it would paintings. on your 5 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous...you are able to make it more beneficial seen through following an similar steps yet take a image of his sparkling room so he's conscious of what you assume it to seem as if. perhaps your 8 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous can graduate to being your "inspector". solid success!!

Answer 10

My mother and law bought my 4 year old one of these,

http://shop.crackerbarrel.com/online/shopping/Product.asp?cat_id=4&sku=212462

for his birthday and now whenever I ask him to tidy his room he is more than happy to as long as he can use his grabber, hope this helps :)