How to Get Your Kids to Clean Up After Themselves

Kids are wonderful, but having them also means having a lot of stuff. Besides the gear and clothing, there are books, toys, and other supplies that start to accumulate and eventually suffocate you. A parent can feel like a full-time housekeeper amid all of the endless clutter; get everything organized and the tornado known as your child will inevitably come through and wreck it all again shortly. While getting kids to clean up can seem like a fantasy, there are things you can do to help your kids pick up their messes all by themselves. By devising a cleaning system for your brood, you can not only enable good habits at a young age, you can also empower your kids to take care of what's theirs, giving you some free time to do something else (like laundry!).

Devise a System

While you may look around a room and see a mess that can be cleaned in categories (books, cars, dolls, blocks, etc.), kids just see a mountain of stuff and can get overwhelmed quickly. To help kids clean up, you need to put a system in place to help them understand that everything has a home. The old adage, "a place for everything and everything in its place" may seem like a grandmotherly chide, but it really does work. Organizing a cleaning system for kids means that children will be able to pick up each toy and know exactly where it goes. If there's no order, kids will be overwhelmed, and cleaning will quickly fall by the wayside.

Use the Right Tools

My very favorite cleaning system is to use baskets for different types of toys. My three boys have done very well with this type of organization from an early age, and even tell friends and caregivers which basket a certain toy belongs in. I have organized baskets by types of toys: cars, trains, play food, blocks, Legos, etc. Not only does this make it easier for the kids to clean up, it makes my home look more organized. Even if toys are tossed haphazardly in a basket, once the basket is put on a shelf, the whole room looks neat and tidy. My favorite baskets and bins are from IKEA, and they're also inexpensive. Try the Branas Basket, which comes in 4 sizes from $4.99-$12.99, or the Trofast Storage Box, which comes in 3 sizes from $2-$5. These have both held up very well over time and are easy for my kids to move around the house with their toys.

One of the things that keeps kids from cleaning up well is that they can get sidetracked and end up playing rather than cleaning. To help remind them of the task at hand, try setting a countdown timer. Encourage them to beat the clock as they clean; it will feel like a game. This Time Tracker Visual Timer & Clock for $39.99 is fully programmable and has 3 lights--green, yellow, and red, to give kids a visual cue that time is running out. All ages will benefit from this tool, and you won't have to poke your head in every few minutes to keep giving reminders.

Make It Age-Appropriate

Kids as young as 18 months old can begin the simple task of picking up toys, as long as what's expected of them is age-appropriate. A toddler can put blocks into a basket, but don't expect him to be able to sort ten different kinds of objects. As kids get older, make the cleaning system reflect their ages. My 8 year-old has his own book shelf for lining up chapter books, but my 2 year-old tosses his books into a large bin. Both have the same responsibility, but it's carried out in very different ways due to their ages and development.

Be Consistent

Kids will only learn to clean up their own messes if it's expected of them on a regular basis. If you reach your braking point and make them clean, but for two weeks after clean up after them instead, they won't take you seriously. The best way for kids to learn any new habit or skill is to require them to do it on a regular basis. Pick a time or times that work for you, such as before naptime and before bed, and stick to them. In our house, whatever toys are not picked up after the allotted time move to the basement until the kids can show they can take care of them. This teaches them responsibility and that taking care of what they have matters. This system has been in place for years and has not changed, so my boys have a concrete idea of what's required of them. It may feel futile at first, but they will catch on over time.

Model Good Behavior

One of the biggest keys to success in helping kids to clean up is to model good cleaning habits with your own things. If you are constantly hounding your children to clean up while your things are thrown into a random heap, it sends a mixed message. While no one expects your home to be magazine-perfect, putting your belongings away into their places will show your kids that cleaning up is not just for them now, it's a way of life. And they will then be able to carry these skills into the future.