How do you get your kids to help you clean?

Everyone is amazed that my kids (7 & 10) clean as well as they do. They do their chores most of the time without any input on my part. Most of the time is pretty good. After all, I don't even feel like doing the chores sometimes and they are not robots.

I have a good 5 out of 7 days a week with no trouble. This is when the kids have the most structure.

Your best bet is to get a plan and stick with it. Consistency is the key. The actual punishment or rewards and what works can be different from child to child, not just house to house. But, be consistent! Once they know you'll fold, they will provoke you more each time to do so, sometimes without even realizing that is what they are doing.

I too have little ones and still am trying to figure this one out!

A few things we do: Group clean up before dinner of our main living area...toys in basket, pillows on couch...shoes in basket...snack bowls in kitchen...ect... It's nice to have the living room/dining room clean before we eat.

Another thing we talk about a lot is putting things away when you are done with them. Before a child moves on to snack time, or a new play toy or outside they must tidy what they were playing with.

The bedrooms are harder to keep clean (2 kids in each room- 2 rooms) but I have just organized each room...got rid of old and broken toys, bought a new toy shelf from the thrift shop with fabric boxes for toys. I think a key is lots of boxes/baskets for toys to be easily tossed into.

My kids were excited to have 'clean' rooms and we talked about how nice it was to play in a clean room and how easy it would be to keep them clean if they put away what they play with.

Looking forward to more answers on this one!

I have no idea. But if you figure it out will you be sure and let me know!

I had to tell my daughter any toys that were left on the ground were gonna be given away to someone who needed new toys. That seemed to work for her because she wanted all the toys that she had.

Another things, is try to let them only play with 1 or 2 toys at a time. Make sure the first toys are put away before they bring out anymore.

I never had this problem with my son. He always put one toy away before getting another out. My sisters, though, used to gather up any toys left out each night and they were not available for play time for 2 days.

My daughter has had choirs and been cleaning her own room since she was 3. I started out by making a game/contest out of it. Who ever got done first (and yes I checked their work) got the prize. Of course both of them got a prize for effort. Now they get an allounce for their choirs. Bed rooms dont count though. That, they HAVE to do.

My guys are older now....but I still have nightmares about that stupid Barney song...clean up clean up everybody do your share!
Amazingly...at the pre-school age making it a game with that ridiculous song really worked.

now that is my daughter-in-laws problem LOL

when my sons were little I used puppets, it was fun the puppet on my hand would say "oh my what a messy room" and the boys would get their own puppets and the puppets would do the cleaning. However it didn't work so well on my oldest son ( he's 38 now) His wife says he is still no real good at cleaning up after him self

My oldest son is five, and he is pretty good at cleaning. We don't really have a reward system in place, but he knows that he need to clean up, before he starts playing with something else. I do usually say that he has to clean before dinner, clean before bed time, before we go out the door etc., and if they get a snack or something I usually say that he has the clean up first. This seems to work very well for him.

My two year old, is a different case though as he is just as stubborn if not more than I am. He is beginning to understand that he has to clean before he gets a snack etc. He is nevertheless very resistant, and he usually end up on a time out, before he starts cleaning.

Thanks everyone for your help! Some days it just seems to depend on their moods, they get really stubborn like yours j, or the game gets a little out of hand and things end up messier...

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My kids do pretty good! Need to work on my daughter keeping her room cleaner though! I will help her get it where it needs to be then she will maintain it. Son does great. They like the benefits of being able to find things easily!

My kids each have a different chore, like one does dish duty, one does trash duty, one takes care of the animals. They all have to put away their own clothes and keep their own room clean. Some days we ask them to do extra things if we are expecting company or short on time, like sweeping.

Thanks for sharing.

I have to stand over my kids and watch them clean. Otherwise they don't. My youngest is 7 yrs old and special needs. She forgets very easily. I have to give her gentle reminders. but telling her to do one thing at a time. Like pick up all teh dirty clothes, Than pick up all the books, pick up anything blue and so on.
My boys just hate cleaning and will try all sorts of stupid things to get out of it.

Each of my kids are so different. My oldest is a good helper and my 2 year old isn't too bad. The ones I have a hard time with are my 13, 12 and 5 year olds.

Good luck getting to 3000.

No kids for me but my mom always gave me stars on a chart or paid me a whole nickel for each task. We got to turn the stars in for a pizza or a new toy at the end of the month. The nickels added up to souvenir money on vacations.

We try most everything, coaxing, bribery, sometimes threats, using certain chores as punishment for naughty behaviours, time outs, writing sentences and we do have both older boys [almost 9 and 6] at the child guidance clinic which of course the whole family has to go to. We need more structure though which we are having a few problems implementing since my surgery but as I get better we will be able to live life more normally or at least I certainly hope so!

My boys were always pretty good at helpping and still are at 4 & 6 y/o. I would make it a game with them. When they were about 1 y/o they would take a baby wipe and wipe the table and things and thought it was fun. They love to dust and help doing other things.

My kids are grown but when they were little I would try to make it fun. Like who could make the bed the fastest or pull the sheet the tightest. Just change it up to keep them fooled.

My 2 year old grandaughter learned a song in her kinder music class called clean up clean up and she loves singing it and picks up her toys while sining the song.

Yours are a little young for this yet, but when my 4 & 7 year olds don't want to help, I get out the trash can and the kitchen timer. Whatever isn't picked up at the end of the set time goes in the trash can. I may trash it, or I may put it in time out until they can show me they can clean up without fighting me. (I always make sure it's a clean trash bag in the trash can). They never know if I'm going to throw away or keep in time out (and neither do I until I see what is left but they don't know that). It works!