OK..so my daughter is 4 and knows very well how to clean her room when "she" wants...but the problem is we can spend 5 hours cleaning it and then an hour later her and her friends have completely trashed the place..i've done everything from baging toys up, threatning to throw stuff away, buying rubbermaid containers and labeling drawers for stuff, rewarding..nothing seems to work to get her to keep her room clean. Any suggestions??
2007-09-03 16:27:53 · 17 answers · asked by Erica 82 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
If you have to spend 5 hours cleaning up her room she might have too many things in there.
Why don't you try rotating her toys? i.e. Only have a small selection out and the rest put away in a cupboard not in her room. Then she can play with her 'room toys' - if she keeps them tidy in her room, you might reward her with her choice from a box full of 'reward toys'. Rotate the toys now and then, keeping favourites out - put a limit on the amount of toys she can keep in her room at a time.
2007-09-03 16:40:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, it seems that she may have too many things to play with- it might be time to go through her toys and "put away" things she likes but, doesn't play with all the time" Or donate the things she's outgrown... Or both.. then when her friends come over you can rotate toys and they won't get bored or dump everything out all at once... I would say that before her friends leave they should help your daughter clean up the mess.. After-all she's not the only one that made the mess.. So an hour before it's time for everyone to leave- or before snack or whatever have clean-up time.. Then she learns how to keep a tidy/neat room AND do the same clean-up at her friends home !
2007-09-04 07:06:22 · answer #2 · answered by pebblespro 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Limit friends to one at a time and supervise closely. Instead of sending her to clean her room by herself, go with her and work together. Try to make it a pleasant time together instead of an angry one. Now, i know this is not easy...i have been ther and remember being VERY angry. But , looking back, it did not work. Compromise a little...a kid's room does not hae to be perfect. maybe she does have too much "stuff". Weed it out and pack some away or give away. Keeping her room clean is not important to HER...it is only important to YOU. and you cannot make someone else, even your kids care avout something they just don't care about. So do streamline the room, do allow her to make it a mess at times., do help her clean up, do limit friends. And then, remember, when she is 18 or 20 and out of the house, these days will seem so insignificant! She is only 4...don't set adult goals for her . I have one daughter that is a neatnik and one who is a slob...they are both in their 30's now. You really can't change their nature, so you have to find survival tricks so neither of you goes nuts and you don't spend her entire childhood being angry or frustrated with her. There is no perfect answer...and we cannot make our kids be and do what we want them to be and do in every way.That is a terribly hard lesson to learn! Good luck and enjoy your daughter.
2007-09-03 16:43:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Give her praise for specifics, like how well she made her bed or what a great job she did arranging stuffed animals etc. She'll appreciate that you recognize her efforts because you aren't generalizing, and maybe she'll be more inclined to keep her room clean. If you always stress out about the mess, and complain to her about it, she isn't going to feel like she's doing a good enough job and will want to give up altogether. When she does have friend's playing over, let them both/all know beforehand that everyone is responsible for tidying up, and if they want to play they'll have to help when they're finished. If it doesn't stay tidy, then no one can play over anymore.
2007-09-03 16:41:04 · answer #4 · answered by mitchell 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
telling a 4 year old to p.c.. up after her self isn't making her do too plenty. proceed to try this and in some years you would be so happy. many human beings so not attempt to make there teenagers freshen up until they're 6 or 7 and via then this is in basic terms too late -- the youngster will throw a extensive combat. via doing it now and reinforceing this is going to a sticky label chart you will advance a independant, nicely adjusted newborn
2016-11-14 03:17:30 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alrighty when i was 4 i loved to play games!! So my neihgbor ( she was 8 years older then me) was baby-sitting me and one of the things i had to do was clean my room. I fussed and fussed and then she said lets play a game. She was the judge and i had to clean my room before 10 minuets came up. ( 3 songs) and then she would judge me on a scale of one to ten. A one ment no movie and 2 ment no popcorn ( my favorite food) 3 ment i had to go to bed early 4 ment i could pick out the movie ( haha) a 5 ment i could have en extra oreo 6 ment i could stay on 5 minutes later 7 ment 10 minutes you get the point
2007-09-03 16:43:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She won't keep it clean on her own.
At this age they don't understand that concept.
Don't expect that to "kick in" until around 10, if it does at all. LOL!
At this age she needs more direction.
Say, "10 minutes to bed time (or whatever), it's almost time to clean up". Then, in 10 minutes say, "It's time to put the toys away. Blocks go (where ever), dolls go (where ever), put the books on the shelves."
"Clean up" is too big for a 4 year old's mind to remember and process. You have to break it down and remind her EACH TIME.
Please make it fun. Really, childhood is so short, don't spend it cleaning! Who ever looked back on their life and said, "I wish my house was cleaner"? When she graduates and leaves home, are your only memories going to be of her messy room? NO!!!
Cherish each moment! They go so fast!
EDIT TO ADD:
DANG!!!
You guys are HARSH!!
She's 4 YEARS OLD!!!
2007-09-03 16:39:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Make her friends help clean it before they leave. Or they wont be able to play in her room when they come over. Or don't worry about it being clean, because she's four. Or since it takes five hours to clean, maybe think about getting rid of some stuff?
2007-09-03 16:35:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Shut her bedroom door. What is more important to you, spending quality time enjoying your child or her having a spotless bedroom? What do you think your daughter is going to appreciate more in 20 years? The fact that she spent time with her mother playing, reading etc or that her mother was constantly nagging about a clean bedroom?
2007-09-03 17:40:40 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I never threatened to throw things away, I grabbed the garbage can, set it in the middle of the room and started throwing things away. (Start with the toys YOU dislike the most.) I've never had a problem since!! When I ask "Do you want Mommy to clean your room? I'll go get the garbage can!" I hear the screeching "Nooooooooo!" as they run to their rooms to clean them up.
Hope it works for you!!
2007-09-03 16:40:50 · answer #10 · answered by hotmom_e 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋