Kids don't always love to clean up after themselves, but the good habits that they learn now will serve them for years to come.
Here are nine tips you can use today to help your children keep their rooms clean and organized.
Bin Toy Organizer
1. Make sure your child's room is set up in such a way that staying organized is easy. Small labeled bins are ideal for holding toys. For children too young to read, paste a photo of the toy (from a catalog, for example) on the bin or allow them to draw their own pictures for the label. Kids love cubbyholes, so have fun making sure that each of their toys has a special home to sleep in at night. Shelving is extremely useful, as well.
2. Keep closet rods low enough so children can reach them easily. Hang clothing on small hangers, and help the kids to group coordinated clothing together. You may even want to hang coordinated clothing on same hanger for toddlers. Or stack a series of crates in the closet and put coordinating clothes in each, one for each day of your work week. A little organization in a child's closet can really help you save time in the morning.
3. A little creativity can go a long way. For example, boys will be more likely to get their laundry in the hamper if it has a basketball hoop on top of it. Swish!
4. Set a general rule for the number of toys that children can play with at any given time. Once one set of toys is put away, the child is free to bring out the next set.
5. Help your young children to put things away when it's clean up time, but be careful not to do the entire clean up job yourself. Remember that you are instilling some habits that will make your life easier once they get a little older, so make sure they understand the expectations of tidiness at a young age.
6. Have a conversation with your kids about what it means to respect their toys and clothes. If something gets ruined because it was left on the floor, allow it to be a natural consequence. Think twice before you jump up to fix it.
7. When things get overwhelming and it's time for some deeper cleaning in the kids' rooms, make it fun and involve them in the process. Put on some fun kids' dance tunes and boogie while you both pick up and organize. Help them to see that almost any chore can be fun if you bring the right attitude to the job.
8. When your child has guests over, stick to the same cleanup routine. And let your kids know that you expect them to help straighten up when they play at a friend's house, too.
9. Involve your children in the cleanliness of the rest of the house, as well. Experts say that doing chores around the house and working as a family actually builds self-esteem. Reinforce to your children how good it feels when our home and rooms are all clean. I like to tell my kids how relaxed and comfortable I feel when things are tidy. See if they don't say the same.
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