It is a common complaint among parents – I cannot get my child to clean his/her room. This can be very frustrating to parents – clothes scattered everywhere, paper and garbage piled in corners. Surely it is unhealthy and just down-right ugly to look at!
Most children who refuse to clean their room are not trying to be defiant, but most times it is due to lack of structure. It is critical that you teach your child from a young age the importance of cleaning up after themselves. This will carry over into their adult lives. Here are a few ways in which you can get your kids to clean their room:
- If the unclean room is a new phase for your child, dig deeper. Are there any behavior changes? Perhaps your child is having trouble at school, problems with peers, or some other stressful situation has caused his/her room to go unclean. Ask your child why they have stopped cleaning their room and if there is another underlying problem, deal with that instead of the room cleaning – for now.
- Most times, children refuse to clean their room because it has gotten too far out of hand and they feel like they will never be able to clean it by themselves. If your child’s room is so cluttered that it is difficult to even move around, it may be best to divide the room up or have him/her focus on one or two items at a time. For example, divide the room into four parts and assign one part each day or weekend. You can also allow clothes one day, toys the next and so on. This will seem more manageable to your child and after each section or item is accomplished be sure to praise him/her for a job well done.
- Many children do not know where to start when cleaning up a large mess. It can be very beneficial for the parent to help get them started. Explain to your child how you want attack the mess and spend a few minutes helping them get started. Organization is difficult for most children, so you will need to help them understand it.
- Do NOT clean the room for your child. Once kids are in elementary school, they are capable of cleaning their own rooms. Again, this goes back to communication and teaching your children from a young age about picking up after themselves and learning about organizing. Hold them accountable in cleaning their room – doing it for them only teaches them it is ok to be lazy.
Rewards and punishments for not cleaning their room can have both positive and negative effects, depending on how they are handled. Set the expectations and the rules, and make sure they understand what is involved. Perhaps they only get computer time, if their clothes from the day are in the hamper and not on the floor. Motivating your child to clean their room can be difficult, but is not impossible.
How do you get your child to clean their room? Do you have any tips you’d like to share?