How to get your children to tidy-up their room
It is a battle for parents that is seldom won - but maybe there is a way to come out victorious?
As a parent, there is nothing worse than having to fight with your kids to get them to clean their room.
The kids have no interest in tidying up the mess they created, nor do they feel they should have to.
Sadly, a lot of parents let their kids get away with not having to clean their room from a very young age, which makes it almost impossible to get them to do it as they grow older.
That's why it is so important to ensure you teach your kids from as soon as they start playing with toys that their mess is their responsibility.
That is all good and well for those reading this with babies in the house, but pretty useless if your kids are of a school-going age.
So what can you do to ensure they clean up their room? Well, we have three tips for you to try out at home.
1 - Rewards system
No, this is not bribery. Okay, it kind of is, but lets rather just say 'rewards'. Draw up a schedule and put it on the wall. Each time your child is scheduled to clean their room, a gold star is awarded to them if they complete the task. Should they miss two scheduled clean ups a week, then they are punished however you see fit. If they nail all the scheduled clean ups, then you need to reward them however you see fit. This is not a time to spoil your child for a job they should be doing anyway - it is more of a chance to help them realise that doing what is required of you leads to a more fulfilled life.
2 - Do not raise your voice
The worst thing you can do when trying to get a point across to a child is shout at them. Firstly, they will pick up bad habits as a result, and, secondly, they will know from that point onwards how to push your buttons. Keep cool, calm, and collected when telling your child what to do - they will end up respecting you even more for it. Your calm attitude to the situation will also convince your child that a clean room is far better than a messy one, as it leads to a happy parent - not an angry one.
3 - Make a game out of it
Kids love a good game, so why not make cleaning their room into one? Assign points to each item on the floor and keep a tally of the score. If you have more than one child you can have your kids compete against each other to see who can get the highest weekly or monthly score, with some sort of prize for the winner. A healthy competitive spirit is a wonderful thing to have in this life.
Do you have any tips of ideas to add? Let us know in the comments section below.