I Promise – Your Kids Can Clean Their Own Playroom

 

Yes, your kids can clean their own playroom!

The day I happened upon this amazing discovery it was six months ago, and I was at my sister’s house. We had come by to drop something off, and it was eerily quiet downstairs.

“Where are the kids?” I asked.

“Oh, they’re upstairs cleaning their playroom,” she said casually. “They have been up there all day and they’re taking forever. But I think they’re almost done.”

Oh, right. Your kids clean their own playroom. Because mine do that all the time. And by “do that all the time,” I mean, “Weep and moan on the floor when I ask them to put 24 giant-sized puzzle pieces back in a box, until I threaten them that they will have no dessert, or shows, or fun, or water for the rest of the month unless they obey.”

So basically the same thing.

Nevertheless, not to be maternally outdone by my LITTLE sister, I thought I’d give it a shot. I will never lie to you, dear readers. It was not seamless.  There were tears shed (mine,  mostly) and more than a few little kinks to iron out.

But now?

My kids clean their own playroom.

And it’s wonderful.

If you, too, are dubious that this miracle could occur in your own Lego-Land-Mine of a toy room, I promise you from my heart of hearts that it absolutely can be done. You, too, can send your angels up (or down or over as the case may be), and BY THEIR OWN LONESOMES they will put away all their own toys.

Here’s what you need to know to make this magic happen.

• The first step is to determine if they can clean it AS IS or if you have “pre-clean” to eliminate some junk. (You knew this was coming, didn’t you?) There is a SUPER SIMPLE way to figure out if you need to do any “pre-cleaning.” And here it is.

You walk in the room, and you look around. And then you say, “Self, do I actually know where all of this stuff belongs?”

And if Self says, “yes,” then you are done. But if Self (hypothetically, of course) notices naked appendages to Happy Meal Parts, and your old Driver’s License and your husband’s yearbook, and you actually sort of start having hot flashes trying to figure out if you actually still HAVE the game of Monopoly, or the kids are just using the pieces as Pirate’s Booty…

THEN YOU NEED TO CLEAN THE PLAYROOM.

I know, moms. It’s awful, and it’s horrible, and after you do it you have my Official Permission to order take-out for yourself later.

But while it is Highly Unenjoyable, it is actually Very Simple, too. Go get three big ol’ Amazon Prime boxes. Go dig through all the matchbox cars to find a Sharpee marker. Label the boxes:

1. Store.
2. Trash.
3. Give Away.

We’ve all heard of this little system, I’m sure. But have you really discovered the magic that is Rotating The Toys? This is the “Store” Box. In it, you put a bunch of toys you are sick of looking at. And it will become, basically, like Christmas in July to your babies.

You box up a bunch of toys and then bring it back out in a few months! It is hilarious and awesome.

Sam!!!!! Remember this guy?!?!?!? Remember MY BLUE GARBAGE TRUCK??!!!!! Here it is!!!! Woah!!!!! AWESOME!!!!

And you’re basically a hero.

The only Important Note is to do the Storing Away of the “boring” toys out of sight from your beloved ones, because otherwise, there will be such weeping and sorrow as was never before. Mom!!!! Where are you putting these toys?? We love them!!! WHERE IS THAT GUY GOING!!?!? He’s my favorite!!!!!!

Oh, you mean that guy with his arm snapped off, that his been ignored and stepped on for two weeks? That guy? Hmmm.

Never heed the tears, Mama. Keep on chugging.

Now, often I get the question: How do you know what to give away, and what to keep? And here’s the truth. I believe that embedded deep within each Mother’s Soul is THE KNOWLEDGE. It is like milk coming from breasts and the ability to know when someone is being naughty in the other room. It is an Intrinsic Gift that comes when you became a mother.

Deep down within your soul, YOU KNOW which toys are getting crunched on daily and never played with. You know the good ones. All you need to do is hone in on that underlying knowledge, and go with your gut. You can do it, Mom. I believe in you.

So once you have done the: Store, Trash, Give Away, you will end up with a clean and organized room that your little cherubs can clean by their own selves. Because :

1. There aren’t a thousand toys.
2. Everything has a home.

Just to make sure we were ready, we played a little game. I would run around and pick out One Random Object from each kind of toy. It’s the same game, incidentally, that my children play every three hours. Anyway, I ended up with a pile of miscellaneous toys. Then we “pretended” it was a game to find the right spot for the right toy. They loved it, oblivious to the Secret Cleaning Lessons they were learning. Genius, I say.

At that point, you have it, Mom – They are ready. Let them make a Wreck to their little hearts’ content, and then make THEM clean it up!

 A few obvious questions that often come at this point:

• Q: My youngest child is 4/3/2 and no help whatsoever. He/she just pulls out all the toys and the older one gets annoyed! ANSWER: Well, this person needs to be given one or two small jobs, and when it’s complete, removed from the situation so the oldest can clean the playroom. Make sure your oldest gets plenty of Accolades and Praise and an extra little treat. Because, WOW! You are a big kid. You did a great job.
• Q: My kids would just play with toys all day long and never clean. ANSWER: That’s fine! Give them all day! Make sure there’s a nice, exciting reward at the end of the job. A snack, an activity, etc. They’ll do it eventually. They just can’t leave until it is done.
• Q: But you don’t understand. My kids FIGHT LIKE RABID ANIMALS when left alone. Answer: Ahh, yes. This is the toughy. There are a few ways to handle this:
  • Go up there and sit, reading a magazine, while they’re cleaning. Try to be a fly on the wall. Don’t say anything. Don’t respond to questions. Just be the Powerful Observer. This actually does a lot of good.
  • Separate them and make them take turns. Sit one child outside in the hallway for five minutes while the other does a job you give them. Then switch. This is annoying for you, but also annoying for them. They will soon realize it is more fun to get along and clean.
• Q: One of my kids is hard-working and the other is not! A: I have this problem and this is  what I do. I go up and observe for a little. That will either fix it, or I will say, “Okay, (Child #1 Who Is Actually Working), you have to do these TWO jobs, and then you can leave while (Child #2 Who Is Standing On His Head) finishes the room.”

So, yes. It takes a little bit of trial and error to get the system working. BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT. Because eventually you have:

• Kids who do actually clean. (even if you sometimes find Massive Piles Behind The Couch).
• Kids who can complete a job till the finish.
• Kids who understand the joy of a finished job.
• A Clean Playroom!

Have you ever tried this? If your kids DO clean their own toys, what advice would you give to someone who’s struggling?

Follow "Smartter" Each Day on Facebook!

Follow Jessica on Instagram!