Clean and Tidy: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Kids Effective Room Organization

Maintaining a neat and ordered room helps improve general wellbeing. But maintaining a clean environment has advantages beyond simply keeping the area organized. Even though it might seem simpler to merely finish the chore for them, teaching youngsters to clean up after themselves helps prepare them for success. If we intervene and finish the task for them, they won’t be developing their independent skills. 

Top 10 Tips to Teaching Kids Room Organization: 

Organizing a room can be made to be more pleasurable and less of a hassle. 

• Discuss why cleaning up the room is important: It’s crucial to have open, frank discussions on the advantages and significance of cleaning up. You can probably say “We take care of our area and our toys.  We feel better when we take care of our surroundings.” 
• Establish a Chore Chart: If you want to implement a chore chart, be sure it is both clear and age appropriate. It’s best to break the task down and be very explicit about how to do it if you want your child to efficiently finish the chore(s) you assign them. To put it another way: Avoid adding “clean room” as a single, inclusive duty. Be more explicit when saying things like “make bed,” “put clothes away,” and “tidy desk.” 
• Proceed Step by step: It can be awkward to assign a child a cleaning duty all at once. Imagine that while you were enjoying your favourite TV show, someone abruptly turned it off and urged you to get the dishes done. You would probably get a little upset. For a young child, a verbal warning might be sufficient, but some older kids might respond better to a time cue, such as, “Let’s clean up in five minutes.” Teenagers may respond better to scheduled tasks, so you may say something like, “Please clean your room before you go to bed on Sunday.” 
• Give them some help to begin: Children learn by imitation, and they are more willing to participate when it is a group activity. You can cut back on your assistance as your child becomes accustomed to the cleaning schedule. She says that motivation can be greatly aided by beginning by giving a hand. 

• Praise them: At first, the incentive may be something modest but practical, like a sticker on a chore chart. Reward opportunities like more screen time or time spent with friends may be more motivating for older children. It makes sense to pay attention to how your youngster reacts. It’s also critical to realize that as they grow older and have new interests, this may alter. 
• Make it a routine: Maintaining consistency is essential for promoting a particular activity, like cleaning, even though it can be difficult. Follow the guidelines you’ve established for incentives. 
• Give them alternatives: When you have no control over the chores you must do or how you’ll do them, it might make them feel harsh. So, let the little ones have a say in the process. They will develop a sense of ownership for their “domain” if your child chooses something they enjoy doing, such as watering plants, setting the table, or slicing vegetables for supper. 
• Encourage your kids to pickup a charity: Having your kids choose a charity will encourage them to declutter their possessions. Saying goodbye is simple when you are confident that giving your Peppa Pig or Transformer banners will help another youngster have a wonderful birthday celebration. Invite your children to participate in the process and help them become passionate about it by asking them to choose a charity to donate to. This will help you tidy their area more effectively.  
• Delete the idea that doing the chores is a punishment: Explain to kids that doing their chores is not a punishment or a duty, but rather a ticket to possibilities. Kids will respond negatively if you are unpleasant and grouchy while discussing what they “have to do.” 
• Set a chore- race: Consider a 10-minute power clean to get youngsters motivated to clean; and watch how much they can accomplish. To them, it seems like a game, and it gives them both thrill and a sense of satisfaction. 

How to handle a youngster that won’t tidy up their room: 

If your youngster baulks, you might want to go over the situation again later. Remember that kids can have good days and bad days. Sometimes they’ll say no just because they’re feeling grumpy. Pay close attention to how frequently and how long these mood and behaviour changes occur. It can be worth looking into more if they start to affect other facets of life, such as education or interactions with friends and family. The motivational techniques for cleaning won’t work for all kids. Continue to use some verbal cues to remind the child that the reward is dependent on the cleanup procedure. 

Working with one of the best international schools of India, we aim to raise responsible kids, with collaborative efforts of parents and teachers. 

Thoughts by 

Simranpreet Kaur 

Manager- Communications