One of my AWESOME readers sent me the following question:
"Dear Domestic Diva... How do you get your kids to do their chores? Sincerley Tired of Bribing and yelling"
Dear Tired of Bribing and Yelling,
This is an age old dilemma of motherhood. How do we get our kids to clean up after themselves without pulling our hair out in the process? My children are ages 5, 3, and 15-months. My 5 and 3-year-old don't have "chores" yet. The only job they have right now is picking up their toys.
Here are some things that we do that may be helpful:
1. We live in a town house so many of the girls' toys are on the mail level. Before dinner, Kelly (my husband) or I have the kids clean up the toys and clothes that may be scattered (generously at times) around the front room.
2.Be specific! Saying "CLEAN UP YOUR TOYS" can be a little overwhelming for a little one so sometimes I'll have them pick up all the toys of one kind (ie: stuffed animals) then report to me and I give them another simple task.
3. I am trying to implement a "room cleaning day" once a week. I break up my own chores into days of the week so why not have the kids do the same. Ask them what day they want to clean their room. Give them some ownership in it!
4. PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE! EVERYONE loves praise! When they pick something up and put it where it goes, clap! MAKE A BIG DEAL of the good things they do! I know my girls respond well to this and when they are praised, they want to do more.
These are just a few ideas that I use. Now I want to put the question out there to our other readers and ask, WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? Please share your comments below!
Remember that, "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints, 1966
We all have messy houses and children! It is a learning process for each of us! Do the best you can and let's enjoy these little ones while they are little because all too soon they will be gone and we'll be wishing there were toys everywhere (at least I keep telling myself that's what I'll be wishing)!
Hang in there, Tired of Bribing and Yelling!
Sincerely,
The Domestic Diva
I have an 8 year old step-son who learned how to clean a bit when he got a new step-mom (me!). At first we started with him making his bed everyday. For a while, the bed didn't look that great but I was just happy that he started to straighten out the blankets a bit. I still have to remind him EVERYDAY now but at least the bed looks nice.
ReplyDeleteBreaking the task down into simple steps has helped me out the best as well as being in there with him. I find this is especially true for when he cleans his room. If I told him to clean his room and then ignored him, he wouldn't get anything done simply by the fact that he doesn't really like being by himself. So if I go in there with him and ditty about folding laundry or just directing him what to pick up, he'll get it done much faster. Also, we use the rule that cleaning comes before fun. He can take as long as he wants cleaning his room but he can't have any movies or games until it is clean.
It is also important to not give in. Yes, there have been days where he spent HOURS in his room. First he'd cry for a while, then eventually fall asleep and then wake up 2 hours later to find he STILL had to clean his room. He hasn't done that in a long time though and he knows now that it's just MUCH easier and faster to clean the room right away and get it over with rather than dragging it on for hours.
Thanks Jeni! You are awesome! GREAT COMMENT!
ReplyDeleteMy mother would ask us to clean up our stuff and when we didn't, she'd put it all into a bit laundary basket. Then we'd have to do chores around the house to get our stuff back.
ReplyDeleteWith my two-year-old we always sing the clean-up song. And I pick up a few things and then tell him that it is his turn and I don't pick anything else up until he starts helping. Then we turn it into a race to see who can get to the most pieces. So it turns it into a game. The think my 2 year old really likes to do is take the clothes off the hangers and hang the hangers all over his room. So his task is to collect the hangers, then I put the clothes on, and he hangs them back up in the closet. I love cleaning his room with him--it's great together time.
LOVE IT, LEAH!!!! Thanks for the good ideas!
ReplyDeletewhat a fun blog! We are in the older stage for clean up fun, but learned that Liam was motivated by computer time, so each job earned him a certain block of time on the computer. It was great and funny enough was just the right thing to build the habit, now he makes his bed, and cleans his room first thing in the morning as a matter of habit without even thinking of the reward...if only i could find something that motivated my daughters so well.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of fun blogs, Jessie! I LOVE YOURS! You and your sisters-in-law have done an amazing job! So professional! How fun to be in touch with you guys!!! Love you! Thanks for your comment here!
ReplyDeleteToday was a good day. When the kids hesitated on chores we started taking time off of their bedtime (meaning they had to go to bed early) After all the chores were done they could do more chores to earn their time back. My house is pretty Tidy!
ReplyDeleteWHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA, MEL! I'm gonna have to use that one!
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