Clean your room




Schroeder

Schroeder

May 10 was National Clean your Room Day, a great time to get the household together to tidy up the home. If you have children, there are chores they can do, like cleaning their room, to help pitch in too. Through cleaning, they also learn to be responsible for their things and care for their belongings.

Here are six tips to help you teach your children to clean their rooms:

Model the behavior by making it a habit to clean up around the home. Kids are observant and will come to view the things you do regularly as the norm.

Empower your kids to feel like the space is theirs and they’ll be more likely to want to keep it clean. You can do this by letting them have some input about how the space looks, whether it’s picking the pattern of the blanket or designating a spot for toys.

Make sure everything has a spot, so your kids know where things need to go. Use boxes and bins to keep things organized and label them so they remember what they’re for. For younger kids who are still learning to read, use pictures instead of or in addition to words.

Give specific instructions instead of just, “Clean your room!” This way, your kids know what’s expected of them. A chore chart can help keep track of the specific tasks. (Again, pictures work great for younger kids who can’t read yet.) Make sure the tasks you assign are appropriate for their age. Some tasks to include on the chore chart include:

• Making the bed

• Putting dirty clothes in the hamper/laundry room

• Putting away clean clothes

• Putting away toys and games

• Picking up clutter

Show them how it’s done when they’re starting out. By cleaning together, they’ll have an example to follow. You can even make it into a game to get them more excited. Set a time and see if you can work together to finish cleaning before the time is up.

Thank them for a job well done, even if it’s not perfect. Praise them for being helpful by cleaning and encourage them to make cleaning a habit.

Denise Schroeder is the health and human sciences extension educator for the White County Purdue Extension Office. She can be reached at schroedd@purdue.edu.

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