Do you make your kids clean their room before playing?

Meema2Kids ↓

Tue, Oct 27 2009, 4:13 pm

Just trying to do a little research for DD Wink

Reality

Tue, Oct 27 2009, 4:35 pm

I'm trying to enforce this rule. It is so hard to be consistant. I.e. When I am in a rush I'll say it's ok just leave the toys on the floor. Not good Crying

frumamn

Tue, Oct 27 2009, 4:37 pm

I said yes but it's not their bedroom it's the play area or whatever they were doing before it was time to go

Mommy F.

Tue, Oct 27 2009, 7:42 pm

What age children are you referring to?

curlytop

Tue, Oct 27 2009, 8:20 pm

I try and make my 3 1/2 year old clean up before going to bed... at least put the legos away etc...
I am not so good about enforcing it, but I try.

freidasima

Wed, Oct 28 2009, 2:37 am

I always made them clean up the basics. But it was easy. We had plastic mesh boxes that all small things went into. One for duplo, another for dolls, etc. and a place in the closet where we kept them all. Clothing was my thing when they were small, I chose, I washed, I folded and I put away and none gave me trouble about it. So when they would go out it was no more than two minutes of cleanup for them to do, and even a small kid can cope with that.

OTOH as they grew up they became slobs, especially the girls. The boys had fewer things and they are pretty neat. But the girls are impossible. Oldest dd learned to keep house once she was married but the others still fling their clothing and other things on the floor of the room...yuk! They sure weren't doing that as kids? I wonder where they learned it, certainly not from their father or me.

LisaS

Thu, Oct 29 2009, 1:57 pm

No, and I wish it were otherwise.

Often I will say before we do X, everyone please put away 10 things. So they make a dent in it although the job isn't done.

alpidarkomama ↓

Fri, Oct 30 2009, 2:03 am

One hour before bedtime, we set a timer for 10 minutes, run around like madmen and clean up the kitchen floor, learning area, living room, and the kids' bedrooms. Great exercise! And it all gets done FAST. Our kids are 6, 4, 3, and 2 and they all help (and think it's pretty funny).

↑ Meema2Kids

Fri, Oct 30 2009, 9:53 am

I'm talking about elementary school age kids, but would love input for any age.

We TRY to enforce this rule, with mixed results. The boys room is relatively easy to pick up - mostly dirty laundry and a few toys.

The girls' room on the other hand.... I really don't know how she accumulates so much STUFF in so little time. I think it would be easier for her (DD age 8 ) to clean every day than to have to spend hours cleaning a horrible mess once a week. The 3 yo can help but only under direction (ie put all the shoes in the closet). It has become somewhat of a power struggle, and it's not just something where I can close the door and ignore it, because there is stuff from all over the house: other people's clothes and shoes, kitchen utensils, my good scissors, my make-up (!), homework, library books, art supplies, food, office supplies, first aid kit, hairbrushes (hers and others), rocks, laundry baskets.... I NEED her to clean it! Not to mention their room is where guests stay (at those times I help her clean it up).

I just think that being more consistent and frequent would help, but of course DD insists that none of her friends have to keep their room clean. Rolling Eyes

↑ alpidarkomama

Fri, Oct 30 2009, 12:50 pm

Are there toys that mostly just get tossed around rather than played with?? A year ago we ruthlessly culled through our toys. We kept a box of blocks, a box of K'nex, a box of train tracks, and one box of other toys that they actually played with. Cleaning them up is SO fast since we did this. Clothes too. They each have 8 days of clothes, including two shabbos/yom tov outfits. That's it. That way the laundry doesn't pile up either. Smile