Clean up clean up
EVERYBODY clean up. I try singing this song when it’s time for the kids to clean up their toys. Sometimes it helps other times my kids just flat out refuse to clean. This has been an ongoing struggle for quite some time now. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice or ideas on how to get the kids interested in cleaning up being as it is a daily routine and I want them to get out of the habit of depending on me to do it. Typically it goes like this:
Me: Jr mantha Shawn, please go clean up the toys in your room.
Kids: Okay
An hour later the room looks worse then when I sent them in there.
I turn music on when I clean so sometimes I will do this for the kids. Still nothing. Most of the time they just drag their feet and move stuff around in attempts to make me think they’re cleaning. I’ve done the whole threatening to throw the toys away, I’ve even thrown some away. Samantha, the little stinker gets excited when I tell them I will throw the toys away that they don’t clean up and she asks me if she can pick out the one’s that will go in the trash. Now I know that’s not supposed to happen LOL I used to hate when my parents threatened with that.
So usually I end up getting frustrated after an hour and go in and put all the toys away myself. Now I know my younger two may be a little young to understand the concept of cleaning, well at least the baby is but my daughter should understand by now and I know my oldest knows. So what am I doing wrong? Besides the obvious of doing it myself eventually. Is there a trick of the trade to getting kids to clean their own rooms? I am ALL ears for any ideas!