Calling ALL Moms- How you get your kids to pick up!

[robinb]

These are all great ideas! Here's a link where you can make a cute chore chart to print and hang- they have many different themes the kids can choose from (Disney too). I usually list 5 chores for each day of the week (brush teeth, make bed, clothes in hamper, etc)- then I put a star in each box for the day if that chore has been completed. At the end of the week, they count up their stars. If they get 30 out of the possible 35 stars (I don't expect perfection), they can cash them in for something special. I've found that its effective to have the kids participate in the making of the chore chart (it takes a few mins at most-its all done online). Then if they gripe, I can say it was their idea.

http://www.dltk-cards.com/chart/

Thanks so much for the chart link!

 

[scraptoons]

We do the trash bag thing too.

We set a time limit. (very generous time, maybe too much)

When time is up, whatever is on the floor goes in the trashbag.

They take us seriously when they hear that trash bag snapping open as we are walking down the hall.

The first couple of times was very dramatic. Lots of wailing...even shoes and favorite clothes were going in the bag. After a day or so, especially since they needed their shoes for school, we would have a stern talk with them then let them have the bag back to put the contents away.

It's clean your stuff up, or Momma and Daddy will clean it up our way!!

Now we don't even have to put anything in the bag. Just mentioning it gets them moving every time.

 

[kstinw19]

Well, for the last month I have been using this for not cleaning up and bad behavior in general:

"If you (don't clean up, talk back, tell a lie, etc.) I am calling Disney and canceling our trip!"

It works like a charm...at least until September.

 

[powellrj]

I found that if we all work together, they are more willing to do it as a group instead of by themselves.

I also have found that cash works well for older kids. I put a time limit on a job and if its not done in that time frame and I have to do it, they have to pay me. If they don't get their rooms done, I will do it for them, but I charge $10 an hour. The first time they had to pay me for cleaning their rooms was the last time I had to do it.

 

[danjoealexis3006]

I Love, Love, Love all these posts! These are all some great ideas. I cann't wait to see how things work out! Summer offically starts here on Friday (last day of school) so we will see!

 

[jenr812]

Great thread! Loving the ideas

 

[shaylahc1]

Pit your kids against each other I will offer up ONE prize (usually a piece of candy) for the kid who picks up the most. They run around trying to clean up as fast as they can, shouting out their numbers as they clean up. I've even had the kids clean out the shoe closet in hopes of getting their numbers higher Works like a charm every time, and no complaints about doing it (we do offer 2 small consolation prizes ).

I also tell my kids if it's on the floor when I go upstairs in the morning, it goes in the trash. This helps remind them to clean up their room before school.

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

I tell my girls that if they don't pickup their messes that it all gets thrown out- then if they don't start making an attempt, I get out a trash bag and start heading towards the mess and suddenly they're in action!

 

[Stephres]

I have a four and six year old and we have just started a sticker chart. The four year old has only three things on her sticker chart and the six year old has six. The four year old gets stickers for picking up her toys, brushing her teeth and holding hands in the parking lot (big issues for us). She loves getting the stickers. The six year old has more responsiblities and we give him an allowance weekly. It was a little more work up front to set it up, but I haven't had to pick up any toys this summer!

 

[barkley]

one thing that helped with mine was to get each a large plastic container (as in christmas tree storage size). we took their closet doors off, put the container in the closet and put back the doors. they can toss everything into it, but they can't pull the whole thing out so not as much seems to be out at a time.

we also have a rule in our house that says you can't get an allowance for basic "household duties" (keeping room picked up, clothes in hamper, bathroom in decent condition)-so if they want to get assigned money earning jobs the regular duties have to be done first.

for MUCH older kids (those whose rooms should be deemed toxic waste sites)-i had a friend in jr. high whose mom had a unique tactic-if the room was a mess she went in (while her daughter was at school) and took the box springs and mattress off the bed, then her daughter's clothes (hangers removed) in the closet/bureau, whereever her clean stuff had been tossed, diary (most desirable items next) and made a pile. on top of it she threw all of the mess (dirty laundry, scraps of paper, tapes) . somewhere in the midst of the pile was a plastic garbage bag with any food products in it. when her daughter got home she was faced with either sleeping on the floor, in the clothes she was wearing (which she would have to wear until she dug her way down to what were now getting ripe from being under the dirty stuff) or start plowing through it. the first time she started grabbing handfuls of the clean stuff figuring a few nights in a sleeping bag would'nt kill her-until she upended the food bag which created a nasty mess.

took about 3 times over the course of one school year-until she finaly became a very good "housekeeper"

 

[justplaingoofy]

Our rule... no more than 3 toys out per person at a time.

If it is not picked up when I say its time... It gets thrown away..
(actually we do put it in a trash bag, and in the trash, but we sneak it up to the attic)...
only had to happen once.... works like magic!

 

[Reese]

We have clean up times during the day. I gave up on having a clean house . With this many homeschooled kids our house is lived in. They clean up before Dad gets home from work so that we can play a game or in the summer go for a swim. If it's not done they don't do anything until it is....only took once for Mom and Dad to go in the pool without them for them to know that we were serious. They also have to clean up before bed, other than that we might do a quick pick up a couple times a day-the ten second tidy.

 

[Mom to a Princess]

For my dd I have all of her toys organized into baskets. She is allowed to take one basket out at a time and has to clean up the toys from one basket before she may take down another. On occasion she is allowed to take several baskets but all the toys must be sorted into thier orginal basket before she can put them away and move on to another activity.

This has worked well. Before bedtime we have one more clean up period. People are often amazed when dd will hand them a piece of paper for the thrash or ask where the trash can is.

 

[daisyduck123]

I haven't read the other replies but -

1st grade teacher who gets 24 students to "pick up" every day....

You would not believe what our classroom floor looks like throughout the school day, with all cutting that we do.

I always give the kids a number, then they know exactly what they have to do.
Example, "Everybody pick up 10 things off of the floor".

I base the number on how messy the floor looks.

Works great!!

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I've tried tons of things: chore charts, index cards, bagging up belongings, chores-for-TV - all have worked in the short term but it seems like a few months down the road I'm upset and frustrated over the messy house again. As a single parent, I get more aggravated because I'm the only adult and rarely do anything for myself, so I feel like the kids (DD 11 and DS 8) take advantage of me.

It just occurred to me that the rewards are always geared toward the kids doing their work - and mine will sometimes not buy into the reward. So why not reward myself for having to pick up their slack? Here's my latest scheme:

Buy two piggy banks or other containers, one for the kids and one for me. Every time a child performs a chore (whether a regularly assigned one or something that just needs doing) without being told more than once, I'll put a dime in the kids' bank to save for some family fun event. If I have to remind them, a nickel goes in their bank. If they don't do it after the reminder, I do it and a dime goes into my bank to reward myself.

Either way, I win: if the kids do their own work, the house is clean and we'll do something fun as a family. If they choose not to work and I end up taking care of it, it will be much more bearable as I envision a massage or manicure (two things I've never had but would love to try) to pamper myself!

 

[my4kids]

I've tried tons of things: chore charts, index cards, bagging up belongings, chores-for-TV - all have worked in the short term but it seems like a few months down the road I'm upset and frustrated over the messy house again. As a single parent, I get more aggravated because I'm the only adult and rarely do anything for myself, so I feel like the kids (DD 11 and DS 8) take advantage of me.

It just occurred to me that the rewards are always geared toward the kids doing their work - and mine will sometimes not buy into the reward. So why not reward myself for having to pick up their slack? Here's my latest scheme:

Buy two piggy banks or other containers, one for the kids and one for me. Every time a child performs a chore (whether a regularly assigned one or something that just needs doing) without being told more than once, I'll put a dime in the kids' bank to save for some family fun event. If I have to remind them, a nickel goes in their bank. If they don't do it after the reminder, I do it and a dime goes into my bank to reward myself.

Either way, I win: if the kids do their own work, the house is clean and we'll do something fun as a family. If they choose not to work and I end up taking care of it, it will be much more bearable as I envision a massage or manicure (two things I've never had but would love to try) to pamper myself!

Good idea, but I can already see my kids saying "a dime? - do it your self - thats chump change" my little gold diggers would want $2.00 or more per chore. I think your idea is good, but you should up the ante a little and instead of paying yourself, they should pay you for doing their work for them. They get 50 cents for doing work without being told. 10 cents with a reminder (a much lower amount will prompt them to do it on their own more), but if you have to do it - 50 cents comes out of their container and into yours. Say, "sure I do your work for you, but my hourly rate is..."

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Our rule... no more than 3 toys out per person at a time.

If it is not picked up when I say its time... It gets thrown away..
(actually we do put it in a trash bag, and in the trash, but we sneak it up to the attic)...
only had to happen once.... works like magic!

My dad did this to me once when I was young, he kept the bag hidden for at least 6 months or so. It worked pretty well. As a teacher, I think it is important to have a place for everything and to make sure kids know where everything should go. A "timed" exercise works, too. Like "Beat the Clock". Can you clean up all the paper scraps in 1 minute? If so, we all get good helper stickers! (This worked with 5-6 yo summer camp kids)