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Establishing good habits when children are young can help avoid messy bedrooms. Rules such as putting away toys before taking out another one and having defined places to store toys can help. As kids get older, more tasks and rules can be added. Work before play applies to all ages, and privileges may need to be earned. If messy bedrooms persist, removing toys or play elements and teaching laundry care and bed-making can help. Discourage eating in bedrooms and have a checklist for children to mark off each day.
Messy bedrooms and kids seem to go hand in hand. Bill Cosin many of her comedic monologues called her mother the best pig judge that ever lived, and she judged her bedroom as the worst looking pigsty she had ever seen. It can be difficult to get kids to clean up messy bedrooms; it’s easier if you establish good habits when they’re young.
When children are young, there are several rules you can set to avoid cluttering bedrooms. Even two- and three-year-olds can begin to understand certain things, even though they will need help keeping their room clean. An important rule, especially when a child has many toys, is this: put the current toy away before taking out another one. It can be helpful to have defined places to store all kinds of toys such as bins and plastic baskets. If a child has little storage space and a lot of toys, it will be difficult to keep things clean.
Think of the early years as a learning process and don’t assign too much homework in these early years. Hundreds of toys littering a bedroom floor can seem overwhelming to a child. When a messy bedroom has really gotten out of hand, it may be too difficult for kids to clean up on their own and they’ll need your help. Try to make helping and cleaning a fun experience instead of a negative one. Don’t forget to praise the child a little for being so helpful.
As the kids get a little older, you can add tasks and rules to their list to avoid messing up the bedrooms. Four- or five-year-olds can be taught to make beds (probably with a little help), and you can let them know that you expect toys to be put away after use. Discourage things like eating in bedrooms, which tends to create more clutter.
Another good job to teach right now is dirty laundry care. If the child’s room is large enough, place a laundry basket in the room. If not, instruct children to take their dirty laundry to a central laundry basket or bathroom every day. Slightly older children can start vacuuming and even washing any windows they can reach with a safe vinegar-and-water solution.
A simple “work before we play” rule helps kids understand that privileges like watching TV, visiting parks, or having computer time depend on avoiding messy bedrooms. When kids can’t follow these rules, instead of negative incentives, they just declare that privileges must be earned and that the work before play rule is always in effect. Practice what you preach, because the children will soon learn to compare the state of your room and home with your activities. If you play before work, don’t expect a child to do anything different.
When kids don’t follow this rule and messy bedrooms stay messy, there are some solutions to keep them cleaner. You can, as Dr. Phil suggests, be honest with the kids. If they won’t clean their toys within a reasonable time, remove them from the room and put them in storage for a while until the children demonstrate their ability to clean up. Really stay on the work before the game rule and reduce privileges, but always remember that younger children may need more help than older children. Don’t expect a preschooler to clean up completely; instead, clean with them.
If you haven’t enforced these rules when the kids are younger, messy bedrooms may be a common sight, especially among preteens and teens. It’s not too late, but it will take some talking and teaching a child to help keep the rooms clean. Have places to store things like important homework, toys and books and have a good laundry basket in the room or teach the kids to clean the room of all dirty laundry once a day. Work Before Play applies to teens and younger children and removes play elements from rooms such as TVs or computers as needed until children understand this concept.
Discourage or ban eating in bedrooms, possibly restricting children from having a glass of water in their rooms, and let them know you expect glasses to be placed in the sink or dishwasher every day. Teach or teach how to make beds and, if needed, keep a checklist for the children to mark off each day. You may encounter some resistance at first, but most kids are able to be up to the task, especially if messy bedrooms get in the way of their usual entertainment.
