If you’re wondering HOW TO GET KIDS TO CLEAN THEIR ROOM the proper way, download this visual checklist to help your children learn to get it right the first time!
Let’s face it getting your kids to clean their room is the bane of existence for any parent! Not only do you have to tell them over and over again to clean it but it usually takes a few tries of checking and sending them back to get it correct. I’m tired of getting mad about having to repeat over and over again if your room is clean then there should not be (insert your child’s item here) still on the floor!
Last summer we took an executive functioning skills class where we learned some pretty handy ways to cut down on the frustration and get our oldest son with the program. Our son has ADHD so visual reminders work wonders, but this cleanroom printable will work for any child. Many children are visual learners and if you have caught yourself saying clean your room and going back to explain what that means over and over again this is for you! Countless times I’ve cleaned the room and said this is “Mom Clean” I want mom clean when I say clean your room, not your clean which is not clean at all.
Our skills coach recommended I make a printable visual reminder to hang by the door of his room. The concept is to have a clear visual picture of what clean means. Print out a picture of the room cleaned and not clean and paste them to the printable. Clean is clearly marked with a colored visual clue of green and red is used for not clean.
In addition, we listed out a standard list of what clean means. We explained to him that for his room to be considered clean the eight items on the list must be done. Has this changed our life? Yes!! When we first started using it, he tried to get away with his old ways. I would point to the picture of cleaned and ask, “Does your room look like this picture? Please check the list to make sure you’ve done all eight items. If I come back a second time, and it’s not done correctly, then you will loose (enter your child’s favorite privilege here).” This means no more yelling and stress for me and the rules are clear cut for him. Now it’s very rare that I have to send him back a second time, and we are planning on using this concept in other areas of our home as well.
If you’ve been struggling with how to get your kids to clean their room then you can download here the Kids Clean Room Checklist printable and try it for yourself! If you have a child that forgets their morning or evening routine or chores then you may want to check out my easy to make flip chart and for more organization ideas around the home click here!
Annette Vance says
Ah, so great reading something like this! Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed that even making the bed is a terrible task to accomplish, so it’s really nice to read an inspiring post like this, thanks for it
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you, sometimes we can use all the help we can get!
Alex Bogdanov says
Great idea. I am going to do this now. My son’s room is always a mess!
Anna says
LOL. This is genius. I like the before/after pictures section. We use mason jars with Popsicle sticks for our chores system. Each popsicle stick has a specific chore on it so we can easily divide up the chores by handing out all the popsicle sticks. Kids feel it is like a game to get rid of your popsicle sticks. They move it from “to do” jar to “done” jar
Morgan says
I remember throwing the biggest fits about cleaning my room as a child. It seemed like it would never actually get done because the mess was always so unsightly. These are really good tips for encouraging your kids to get the job done on their own! Great job!