Helping Your Kids Stay Tidy

Having kids in your home often feels like an ongoing battle. This is especially true when you have to clean up and look after them. Kids like creating a mess, but they don’t really clean up their messes that much. But how do you lessen these occurrences? One way is to help your kids stay tidy. Don’t know how? Below are some tips on how to help your kids stay tidy:

Adults are still the best example for our children, which is why it is important for parents to show their children a good one. Even if you are busy, you need to make sure that as an adult, you are demonstrating what your children should be doing. Be consistent about how you take care of your home, and the things in it. Make sure that you are tidy as well because this is what you will be showing and encouraging your kids to do.

You can’t just simply tell your children that their room is a mess, or that they just made one. You also need to show them and instruct them how they can fix it. After cleaning, you can point out the things you just did, and explain why the area has been cleaned. For example, the room is tidy because we put the toys away.

It would also be important to teach your children how to put things away after your finish using them. You can make this a routine, so that your child can develop the habit. For example, you can make it a routine or rule to clean up toys every after playtime, or before getting them to bed. Later on, you’ll start to notice that they’ve gotten used to it that you may not even tell or ask them to do it.

You can also use some positive reinforcement up to some level when you want to help your kids stay tidy. Just like any other person or adult, children can also be encouraged when they need to work towards achieving something. This also goes well when the feel that their hard work or efforts are being noticed and praised.

Practice praising them after being able to accomplish something, instead of following them while they are tidying up and telling them about the wrong things that they are doing. Encourage them instead. It can go a long way and will definitely pay off.

You can use small containers that have labels on it to encourage and make it easier for your kids to clean up. You can use small containers for toys, another one for books, and probably another one for clothes, socks, or even the shoes. Although it may seem simply, it can make a difference especially when they realize that they themselves can maintain it themselves.

You can also put on some music while tidying up to make it seem more fun for your kids. You can have a specific type of playlist or music just for cleaning up the toys. This can also help encourage your kids to move as well.

Nonetheless, make sure that you keep tidying up short but enjoyable for your kids, because they won’t really enjoy one hour of cleaning! Make sure you also give them tasks they can handle as well.