how to get kids to pickup after themselves!!?

Question

i am new to this site and have read how rude some of u can be so if thats ur intention dont even answer. we are supposed to be able to ask questions on here and dont need the ignorance....with that said i am a mother of 4 ages 11,8,5,3 and i am having such a hard time getting my kids to clean up after themselves. i will bust butt all day cleaning and scrubbing then by night looks like a tornado went through. how do u get them to pick up their stuff when they are done with it??? my mom used to crack us but im not much of a hitter with my kids.we have tried taking things away from them for not helping....even kept them inside for the day... HELP...MOM THAT WANTS TO SPEND TIME WITH THE KIDS AND NOT CLEANING!!!!!!!!!

wow...all except the person about spanking....these are all GREAT ideas..we are about to start clean up in a few minutes so im going to try some of the "fun" cleaning ideas yall gave me...thanks sooo much! will let ya know how it goes lol

Answer 1

Maybe come up with a song at clean up time that everyone sings while they are picking up. Works at my sons play group.

You could also try throwing toys away that aren't picked up. You wouldn't actually throw them away but a far as your kids are concerned they're gone for good. If they start picking up after themselves, begin giving the toys back as a reward.

Answer 2

I agree with the lady called "MOM" we have that same rule at my fiances house, except some times we are a little slack with it, if we are palying a game such as candyland or somthing, then "every" one help, If a group of kids, family or not, come over and they trash the house then all of them, no matter whos mommas calling has to stay and clean it up,the children are 5 & 3 but have come to realize that after making a small mess and cleaning it up right away and going to something diffent then they have more time to play. Sing songs with them, and make a game out of it, who ever picks up the most toys, and does it all nice like, no fighting or any hting, then they get to pick out the treat that they get after dinner, bribery works wonders......

Answer 3

I feel your pain. My six year old is the worst at picking up after himself. He knows what is expected of him; for instance, he clears his plate, glass and utensils when the meal is finished if he doesn't he loses 10 minutes of t.v. time which is very devastating because he is only allowed to watch a couple of shows a day. When it comes to his room or his toys, he is told to clean it up. 10 minutes later if he has not tried to start cleaning he gets a warning that whatever is left on the floor in 30 minutes will be confiscated and will have to be earned back by doing special tasks not just his regular chores. The key is to stick to what you say and if he doesn't earn them back within two weeks they get packed away for an indeterminate time. This might sound harsh, but as you know you are only one person and if the family can't do their part then everyone lives in a disaster zone.

Answer 4

i have a 4yr old son and he cleans up pretty well when i ask him to do it. I usually tell him that there will be no tv and he will stay inside the rest of the day if it is nice outside. I shut off the television if he does not clean up after himself for the whole day and he gets very bored, but he knows that each time i ask him to clean up after himself what the consequences are and so he pretty much cleans up all the time. I dont say will you clean your room...I say you must go clean your room or no tv or outside time today. I think sticking to what you mean when you say it helps out a lot.

Answer 5

Go though the house with a large black trash bag, and collect all the kids' clutter. Put the bag in "time out" for a week. Do this everyday. The kids will begin to appreciate the items that they really want, and just maybe start to take better care of them. Stuff that contiunually ends up in the bag - you can get rid of.

Answer 6

Is it mainly toys? We have a strict rule in my house (I have three kids, 6, 4 and 3) that I learned from my daughter's preschool - you cannot take another toy out to play with, until you put away the toy you were playing with. It didn't take long for them to catch on to that rule since it was a good motivator to put away the toy since they wanted to play with a different one. you just have to be consistent. that'll take care of the toy clutter.

For your older kids, and maybe even the three year old... you can have them do some simple chores like make their beds, or wipe down surfaces, take out garbage, etc.... We have a chore chart that works well in our house. They get rewards at the end of the week if they complete them all.

I hope this helps, good luck!!

Answer 7

Make a chart for each one of your kids. Each child should have different chores; age appropriate. Give your kids the responsibility of checking off the chores as they are completed. You have to check it off as well. At the end of the week, reward them with a shopping trip, a trip to a fun park, something they'll really enjoy and really want. If they fail to complete their chores, then they don't get to participate in what you had planned.
They will need to complete them before they can participate.
Good luck and God bless!

Answer 8

Maybe try to make it more fun, like incorporating a game into clean-up time. Also, a rewards system could be helpful and motivate them to want to pick up after themselves.

Answer 9

Mine are 9 and 11, and we have a system...anything of theirs that is left on the floor or counters, etc. becomes "mine" if not picked up by the end of the day. We don't argue about - they just know I'll come "gobble up" their stuff. We've been doing this since they were pre-school. There no arguing or screaming on either end...it's just the way it is.
My husband calls me the "gobbler".

Answer 10

I don't really have much advice because it doesn't get better with time. My 16-year-old son would rather just kick stuff out of the way than to pick it up and put it away.