How to Help a Messy Child Clean Up
If you're the parent of a messy kid, you're probably frustrated about having to repeatedly tell your child to clean up after herself. Follow these steps to ease your stress level and encourage your little Pigpen to pick up her messes.
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Instructions
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Explain to her why it's important to maintain cleanliness and order. Make certain she understands that germs and bacteria grow in dirty areas and that these things can make her sick.
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Offer appropriate incentives if you notice she's trying to clean up after herself. For example, tell her that if she cleans her room to your standards, you'll allow her to pick a new bedspread or wall decoration.
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Turn cleaning into a contest. Tell your kids that whichever one of them is able to clean out their backpack or rid their closet of clothes that no longer fit in the shortest amount of time wins a small prize.
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Create a designated place for each toy, book and clothing item in your child's room, and make certain she knows where everything belongs. Place a laundry basket in her closet to encourage her to put her dirty clothes in it instead of on the floor.
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Designate a mandatory cleanup time each night before your child goes to bed. If she gets in the routine of having to pick up after herself, the practice will soon become habit.
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Encourage your messy child to donate those toys she no longer plays with or the clothes that no longer fit to get rid of her clutter. If you can't appeal to her sense of cleanliness, appealing to her sense of care and concern for others might do the trick.
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Enforce strict rules on hygiene but ease up on room clutter rules for your messy child. Allow her to tackle one messy habit at a time. For example, always reprimand her if she doesn't wash her hands before eating a meal, but if she forgets to take toys to her room when she's done playing with them, remind her every so often.
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Tips & Warnings
Never clean your messy child's room for her. While this is a quick fix to what is likely a major source of frustration for you, she will never learn the responsibility of cleaning up after herself if you're always doing it for her.
