Messy Bedroom – 12 Tips To Teach Kids To Clean Messy Rooms
Are you sick and tired of a kids messy bedroom? Here are 12 tips to help kids clean up their messy room without fuss.
Let’s chat about a messy bedroom.
Confession time: one of the biggest pet peeves as a parent is a messy bedroom.
Maybe if I myself was messy as a kid or teen I could commiserate.
But alas…I was neat so when I come across messiness it does have a tendency to drive me crazy if I let it.
The cool thing though is that getting your kids to clean their rooms can be easy with the right approach.
FYI: You can actually make cleaning time fun by getting organized and talking to your kids in a way that engages them.
Here are some really useful organizing techniques:
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 1 – Develop realistic expectations.
Children often view their room as the space they can control.
This is especially true for pre-teens and teens, who are often seeking privacy.
Now obviously this is the fine line you must decide how you want to tread.
Sure you do need to guard against any health hazards, especially if your kids have dust allergies.
On the other hand, it’s okay to value a happy family life over keeping every surface pristine.
- I have had to accept that someone who is messy as a kid and teen can still grow up to have respect for organization and neatness. They aren’t doomed to live a life in squalor.
- We can’t always control our kid’s actions so to retain your sanity it may require that you relinquish some of that control.
- Maybe they need to experience a bit of messiness and get frustrated on their own in order to gain more respect for neatness.
- Don’t worry – most kids who throw their clothes on the floor still grow up to be responsible adults!
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 2 – Set a good example.
Kids always pay more attention to what you do than to what you say.
If you put away your clothes, they’re more likely to follow your lead eventually.
If you always make your bed, they have a better chance of doing the same.
By taking care of your belongings and creating an orderly environment, you send a message that these are good habits.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 3 – Ban food in the bedroom.
This is a simple rule to set in place that will help keep their rooms instantly a little neater.
Except for water, keeping food out the bedroom will prevent many messes from ever happening.
Eating in the kitchen and dining room also encourages more family time and less excessive snacking.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 4 – Clear away clutter.
It may be difficult to clean if you’ve got too many possessions.
Make a family tradition of regularly getting rid of unused or worn-out items.
Let kids help pick the charity where they want to donate their old toys.
Alternately, have a garage sale and share the profits with your kids.
Give them a garbage bag or box and encourage them to fill it with things they are holding onto but no longer need.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 5 – Invest in storage solutions.
Make it easy for kids to keep everything in its proper place and you can all spend a lot less time straightening up.
Put frequently used items on lower shelves and hooks where small children can reach them.
Get big bins for large items and small bins to keep items with multiple parts organized.
I definitely recommend making sure that everything has a place so that everything can go BACK to that particular place when your kid is done using it.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 6 – Teach your kids how to clean.
Are you even sure whether your child KNOWS how to properly clean their room?
If you always did it for them as a kid, they may genuinely not have the skills yet to keep their bedrooms in order.
Kids will be less resistant to cleaning if they feel confident about basic tasks.
Praise them for helping you dust or make the beds so they’ll learn by observing and imitating.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 7 – Break cleaning sessions down into manageable chunks.
Children have limited attention spans.
Cleaning for 10 or 15 minutes at a time will often get better results than marathon sessions.
Keep it short and sweet!
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 8 – Do some regular maintenance.
I always say that it’s easier to keep a neat room tidy.
Make morning or evening pick-up times a daily ritual.
Make your bed in the mornings.
Put your clothes away before you go to sleep.
Do a little vacuum before your Saturday outings.
It’s all about doing the little things consistently.
Communication Techniques:
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 9 – Invite your child’s input.
Have you thought about asking your child what their strategies are to keeping their room clean?
What’s their plan?
You can also help your child to value their surroundings by giving them a voice in decorating their room.
They can help shop for storage systems or choose wall art they like.
It helps to have a room you LOVE that you want to keep clean.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 10 – Work together.
Household tasks can be a time for you and your child to enjoy each other’s company and conversation.
Small children need plenty of guidance when cleaning.
As they get older, you can back off a little on supervising and just do some spot-checking.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 11 – Develop educational games.
Cleaning games are a great way to entertain and educate small children.
Drill them on vocabulary by naming household items or play counting games as you roll up socks.
Show them how it’s done.
MESSY BEDROOM
TIP # 12 – Offer choices and rewards.
Everyone likes to be given choices.
Ask your child if they want to clean their room before or after soccer practice.
It’s one or the other but they get to pick!
Also use positive praise and rewards to reinforce good behavior.
In the end, we need to know that most children (and teens especially) will have messy rooms from time to time.
It’s normal.
Try not to freak out!
So set some reasonable standards and communicate effectively to make cleaning fun and efficient.
I promise, it does require some patience but you and your child will get there in the end.
And doing it in a kinder fashion (with less shouting, less threatening and less punishing) will reward you with a better relationship with your kids and a neater home.
-
Before You Go…
– See my EVERYTHING PAGE and grab a free gift > HERE
– Get instant access to EVERY COURSE I’ve ever created > HERE
– Listen to my INSPIRING LIFE PODCAST on Spotify or via Apple Podcasts.
– Or for biz owners, listen to LIFE COACH FOR BIZ MOMS Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.