Have you ever told your child to clean there room and they’ve just stared at you. Or, they move things around slowly and aimlessly until you just go on and do it for them?
You are not alone!
One time, Julie asked her kids to clean their room. They worked hard for about a half hour and excitedly came to show her their progress. When she went to look at their bedroom, that had simply moved all of their things into a pile in the center of the room. Turns out, just instructing them to “clean up” with out any specific guidance caused confusion.
In the latest episode of Whose Kid Is That?!? the topic of cleaning up playrooms and bedrooms came up and Julie shared some of the tips that have helped her kids to get it together.
Here are 3 tips to help your kids clean up!
1. Give Specific Instructions!
Don’t just say “clean up” and leave them be. Give specific instructions about where exactly each item needs to go. Say, “Put all of the books back on the book shelf.” “Put all of the blankets in the trunk.” “Put all of your Legos in the bin.” “Put all of your clothes in the hamper.” “Put all of your blocks in the basket.” You get the idea. Be specific with each task.
2. Take Care of One Thing At a Time!
Instead of doing a million things at once, have your kids stick with one thing at a time. Maybe it’s the books, or the Legos, or the clothes, or the wooden toys. Do all of one thing and then move on to the next.
3. Choose The Best Order!
Now that they’ll be cleaning up all of one thing at a time, choose an order that makes the most sense. Have them start with the biggest things first and work down to the smallest. It wouldn’t make sense to pick up clothes and blankets after Legos, because there will definitely be Legos hidden under those clothes and blankets.
To hear the full discussion about cleaning up playrooms and bedrooms, check out the latest episode of Whose Kid is That?!? with Julie and Val. You can listen on Apple or Spotify. Don’t forget to subscribe so you know exactly when each new episode is released!
If your kids do this crazy, ridiculous, obnoxious stuff too, just know – you are not alone! Come hang out with us in our Facebook group, Mom Chat by The Basic Moms.
