Want to De-Clutter and Clean Your Home? Involve the Kids!
It’s clear that when work is split amongst a team of people, much more is completed at a much quicker rate than when someone tries to complete tasks alone. We can use this approach to home organization as well. If every person in the home pitched in, the house could be clean and organized in no time. The problem is, it can sometimes be a chore in itself just asking the family to clean up. You don’t want to beg and you don’t want to be the bad guy.
So how do you persuade them to help, and more specifically, how do you teach children to take more responsibility for their own mess? Well, first explain that you alone could spend one hour tidying up, or every person could contribute just fifteen minutes and complete the same amount of work. Ask them which sounds more fair. Then try to incorporate some fun along with this logic to doubly motivate them. You’ll hopefully see a much more productive family in no time.
Motivating Kids to Declutter and Organize
1. Set Up an Incentive Project.
Most kids love working on a project to earn money or other incentives. Plus, this experience could help them develop some real world skills such as cash handling, math, and communication. Involve them in every aspect of the decluttering and organization process. Allow them to have a say in which toys, items, or old clothes they want to give up and what will happen to their belongings after that. Some project ideas:
Hold a Yard Sale.
Take part in your community’s yard sale if there is one and allow the kids to help out. The thought of earning their own money by selling their stuff can be very exciting.
Go to a Consignment Shop.
Find a local consignment shop to sell their old clothes and let them keep a cut of the profits.
Sell Items Online.
If the children have more valuable items (musical instruments, game consoles, dolls) they no longer need, considering selling the stuff on eBay or another online store. Have them photograph the items, write a description, and help pack them up for shipping.
Donate the Items.
Donating the items to charity could teach a valuable lesson in helping others. Tell them that their toys and clothes will be sent to children who don’t have much. Some of their excess clutter could be very valuable to a child in need. Set up further incentive if needed. For example, for every ten toys they choose to donate, they can get one new toy to enjoy.
2. Complete Organization Projects.
There are certain things you can set up ahead of time that will make it easier and more fun for your children to keep up with the organization:
- Hang a basketball hoop over a trash can or laundry basket to make a game out of it
- Place two hampers (or a two-compartment hamper) in the bathroom to encourage them to sort light clothes from dark clothes
- Use containers for toys in every room for easier clean up time
Motivating Kids to Keep up with Daily Chores and Tidying Up
1. Create a fun playlist!
Choose four or five upbeat, fast paced songs to create a fifteen minute playlist. Everyone must tidy up and complete as many chores as possible until the music ends. The kids (and you!) will have fun jamming out to their favorite music while cleaning up. The house will look much better in no time.
2. Make it a Competition
If your family has a competitive side, use that to your advantage. Offer a new prize each week to the person that completes the most chores. Have a chart in the kitchen to keep track of the progress. Prize ideas will differ based on children’s ages and interests, but shouldn’t have to cost you a lot of money. Here are some options:
- 30 minutes extra video game or TV time
- Their favorite home cooked meal for dinner
- Choice of movie or game during next family night
- One iTunes song or app
- A friend can stay the night
3. Have Them Motivate Each Other
If your family is more cooperative than competitive, this idea will have them work together. You’ll still want to have a chart in the kitchen to track progress. Assign certain chores to each family member every week and a deadline to complete them. If every person can stay on task for a certain number of weeks, award them with a group incentive. For example, once the family reaches three weeks without missing any chores or complaining, they’ve earned a special dinner out. Or, once they have kept their rooms clean for a month they’ve earned a trip to the movies. This will have the kids working together and motivating each other to complete tasks on time and keep rooms looking tidy.
This content is courtesy of DAK Self Storage, Leesport PA. Visit DAK for more organization tips, self storage insights, and moving advice. Thank you for reading!
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