HELP!!!! I HAVE RUN OUT OF IDEAS TO GETTING MY KIDS TO CLEAN THEIR BEDROOMS

Ange - posted on 08/16/2011

I had the same problem with my daughter she refused to clean her room for a while there and I tried the trash bag and taking things away but that never worked so eventually I got to the point where I would sit in her room and tell her what to do then she started cleaning her room after that cause she didn't want me to go in and tell what to do with it so I agree with Julie Saint..... and now my daughter doesn't play with toys so we took alot of them out of her room so she doesn't have much now to clean

Julie - posted on 08/16/2011

The trash bag method abosultely works, if you stick to it. 2 weeks of not having any toys because they aren't following the rules will start to have an impact on them. I set the timer for my little girls (5 and 4). Whatever isn't done gets taken away (actually I have thrown away toys, so they never get them back) and they know I mean business. If the mess is so bad that it is overwhelming go in the bedroom and help direct them. "Ok first lets put all the legos away!" "Now all the blocks!" WIth my older two (they are almost 9 and 7.) they have to have their rooms cleaned before bed. If they aren't no TV, xbox, computer the next day at all. During the school year their rooms don't ever get real bad because they are so busy with activities, but in the summer time it is a different story!

Teaching good habits helps to. Shoes get put away as soon as they come off, clothes go in the hamper immediately, picking up one thing before they drag out the next etc.

Katrina - posted on 08/15/2011

My mum used to come into my room when I was young and anything that was on the floor went on my bed. I then HAD to put it away before I could go to bed. Maybe you could try that? And if they don't put it away, then no books or something at bed time?

Casey - posted on 08/15/2011

Make it a game! set a timer for 5 minutes and put on some music, and make them race - whoever wins gets a sticker or something! i would also make a point of telling them that it is their toys and washing and that if they make a mess they have to put it away.

Katherine - posted on 08/15/2011

Try a rewards chart. For every day they do something right they get a sticker, but never remove a sticker. If they do the things asked 3 days in a row they either get a toy back or get to do something special. This has worked very well with my 5.5 year old.
Make them earn it all back. Tell them they have to pick up 10 things a day. And then they get a sticker. You can make your own or buy one and it's very effective.

Jodi - posted on 08/15/2011

If you've tried the trash bag method, why do they still have so much stuff in their bedrooms to clean up? Didn't you make them earn back their toys through keeping their rooms tidy? I remove everything, absolutely the lot, and make them earn it back with good behaviour/keeping them tidy. The minute they don't keep it tidy, and you have to do any picking up, you take them back again. They DO eventually get the message. My daughter knows that if she doesn't tidy up when I ask, and I end up having to do it, she loses it.

However, having said that, it is important not to make it too big a job for them at once, because they lose focus, so you should get them into the habit of packing up as they go (i.e. encourage them to put one thing away before getting something else out). It doesn't ALWAYS work that way, but at the very least, make packing up a daily task, and try to make sure they don't get too much out at once