Teach your kids how to declutter their room |
Posted: January 30, 2018 |
Every parent knows this image - toys thrown around the room, socks left on the floor, a bed looking more like a pile of stuffed animals than anything else... This is bound to be a struggle between the child and the parents at a certain period, sometimes very early during their childhood, sometimes a bit later. But the battle remains pretty much the same - how to teach your kids to teach your kids to tidy up their room, without you having to nag about it all the time. Besides actually teaching them to keep their rooms clean and sparing yourself of additional work, you'll do something else which is also beneficial for your kids. What you will actually be doing is teaching them a lifelong skill about helping themselves to concentrate on other important tasks through keeping their personal space clean and organized. So, it's not just about orderliness - it's also about building a foundation for staying focused and free of unnecessary clutter in their lives. Let's see what is that you can do about it: 1. Early startIf you startteaching your teenage child to tidy up their room, good luck with that! Teenagers are difficult enough without trying to make them do the everyday stuff. So, better start while they are young. Even infants can be learned to put away their toys where they belong if it's said to them in a cheerful way. "Let's put our teddy bear in his bed before we sing our lullaby" is a nice method to show your child how bringing things back where they were found is a normal thing to do. 2. Accept their helpThe preschool age is great for teaching your child some responsibility because they enjoy copying what their parents do around the house - just remember how they just have to have their own kitchen stuff and tools, so that they could play adults. So, whenever you start cleaning up, let your child help you - they will be enthusiastic assistants and learn about domestic duties in the process. Of course, duties they could do on their own should be age-appropriate. Every child that can walk is perfectly able to put back its toys and blocks where they belong. Older ones can learnhow to make their beds, hang up their jacket and put their clothes in the drawer.
3. Give them appropriate toolsIf you want your child to be organized, provide them with the necessary things first, so they can do the job properly. It means getting them a couple of things: - a big toy box - open shelves for small toys - boxes fitted to go under the bed - a hanging net for their stuffed animals - hooks for hanging coats, hats and backpacks. 4. De-cluttering the roomAny room will be less prone to get messy really quickly if you make sure that your kid has only things important to them in it. So, take some time to go through your kid's stuff together and get rid of unnecessary things. First, pick a starting point, whether it's the desk or the floor. Pick every item up and decide together with your kid (if it's old enough to make such a decision) if it's really necessary to have it and if so - is there a room to put it? If not, what should you do next? Should it be thrown away or it can be donated? If you believe there's a chance somebody else from the family will be needing it eventually, find some super easy storage solution outside your home. 5. Use labelsLabels are an excellent help for different types of storage in the room. They can be used for dresser drawers (labels for socks, T-shirts, etc.), shelves (books and board games), plastic boxes (art kit, blocks, crayons...) and any other piece of furniture that can hold something inside. If your child can't read, use pictures instead. This way, they will be constantly reminded where each of the items in the room should be.
6. Have your child's personality in mindEvery child, as every adult, is different. In short, this means that you will have to adapt the rules according toyour kid's personality and maybe find a different method of teaching the child the tips above. So, you'll need to keep in mind their temper and habits, as well as their age. Maybe you'll need clearer directions or sometimes you'll have to monitor the tidying up, but it doesn't mean you are making a mistake. It just means you are slightly changing the rule to better suit your child. 7. Be a good role modelYou can't expect from your child to be neat and tidy if you are not like that. As we already know that children, especially younger ones, like to imitate and learn by observing the world around them, make sure youkeep your home clean. Children love to be like their parents, so they will be motivated to keep their room clean, too. All in allNo matter how clear and consistent you are about the rules, there is going to be a period of adjustment and of course, as always with kids, things won't go according to the plan all the time. Just be patient with your child and there will be progress.
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