“Clean up. Clean up. Everybody do your share.” I wish the lines to the popular Barney song worked like magic but for whatever reason it doesn’t seem like my daughter is as excited about them as me. Yep, my 2 year old has outsmarted Barney already! Thank goodness I have a few other tricks up my sleeve, like these 5 brilliant strategies to get her to clean up without a fight.
No more struggles? Does it work 100% of the time?
I wish! But the cleaning power struggles can’t always be avoided, just like tantrums they happen here and there even to the best moms. But bear with me, with a little time, effort and tweaking they can definitely be minimized and eventually be avoided almost completely.
Remember, don’t compare yourself to other mom’s, we all have totally different kids, different houses, different lives, different situations and different parenting styles!
I love Angel Soft®’s tagline: Be Soft. Be Strong. It fits so well with parenting. There are times to be soft, there are times to be strong, there are times to be fun and there are times you need to discipline.
If clean up has been a struggle in your house, do what you can, try a few of these and if it doesn’t work try something else. In the end as long as you love your kids and are trying to improve a little everyday you’re doing it right in my book!
5 Ways to Get Kids to Clean Up without a Fight!
1. Set a Timer
Make it a race. How fast can you clean up? Make a chart on the wall and keep track of personal bests!
This can really help motivate kids and help them realize that there is an end to the cleaning, it’s not just a daunting never ending task.
2. Play Music
Music is another highly motivating item. Clean as fast as you can during 1-2 songs.
Bonus: Make cleanup fun while the music plays, play “basketball” and throw toys into the toy chest, make an assembly line/chain with the kids to get all the toys from the bottom of the stairs to the top, etc.
3. Play the “Toy Line Up” Game
Kids love this game because it’s a race agains mom!
The only con about this game is that you have to be in the room helping but let’s be honest when they are little that usually is the only way to make sure the chore actually gets done. It’s a great opportunity to remind them where things go and help them stay on track so the cleaning doesn’t just drag on and on forever.
Here’s how you play:
Mom lines up toys/books/laundry in a line on the floor while the kids grab one item at a time from her line, as fast as they can and put it away. If they catch up to mom they get a point, 5 points and they are DONE cleaning! Here’s the catch, they they have to grab from the start of the line and move down. That’s it, it’s that simple.
Note: Moms, don’t line up too many toys at a time. The game is way more interesting if you only have a max of 5-10 things in the line, that way the kids have a chance!
4. Make Cleaning Part of Their Daily Routine
Kids thrive from consistency. Having them do something everyday, they come to know exactly what is expected from them. For example:
- Make your bed before breakfast everyday.
- Your plate gets rinsed and directly in the dishwasher after every meal and before you can go play.
- Laundry goes in the laundry hamper before going to sleep every night.
5. Declutter Toys and Keep the Organization Simple
The less toys you have the easier the clean up. With my two year old I go through her toys every few months and get rid of anything she never plays with, there’s no reason to keep it around. We also rotate toys, so we only keep about a half to a third of her toys at her level, the rest are up in a closet. Every few weeks I switch out some of the toys that are out for “new” and exciting toys from the closet. That way there are less total toys out, not only does that make clean up easier it also means she plays with her toys so much more!
For the toys that are out we keep the organization super simple: 1 Toy Chest and 1 Large Basket. There’s no rule what toy goes in which one, as long as my toddler is helping put things back I really don’t care which one it ends up in, it’s all going to be out on the floor tomorrow anyway.
As my daughter gets older I plan to keep more organized baskets. The rule will be simple: only one basket at a time and if you want to get another one out, clean up the first one. I’m looking forward to giving it a try when my daughter is older since I’ve heard good things from moms who have done this.
That’s it. 5 simple cleaning strategies that you can try. Try your favorite one and let us know how it goes!
If you have one to add to the list, leave a comment! You can also check out this short video on the topic!
Be Soft. Be Strong.
Angel Soft® has an entire Be Soft. Be Strong. video series on different parenting topics that you won’t want to miss! What works for one mom doesn’t always work for another, being able to hear from multiple moms their different perspectives can really help especially when you’re facing a tough parenting challenge like cleaning up, dealing with picky eaters, chores and allowances, tantrums and meltdowns, etc.
Stop by Angel Soft® on Facebook — Be Soft. Be Strong.
Cheers!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Georgia Pacific. The opinions and text are all mine.
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