Kids Clean Room Checklist

On any given weekday, if you were to stop by, my kids rooms may or may not be tidy. This used to stress me out and I was always fighting an uphill battle to keep the kids’s room always clean! But that it dawned on me, that there are bigger things to stress about then whether my kids have completely cleaned rooms ALL of the time.

One of the main reasons I like to have the kids clean their rooms is so that they can learn how to take care of their things and also how to contribute to household chores.

In the last year, we have found a good clean room balance! The kids know their rooms need to be cleaned up once a week and in exchange I won’t bug them all week long to get their rooms picked up!

First things first, the only way to maintain an organized room is to start with a decluttered room.

We have been there with my kids—rooms full of stuff. We could never keep up with the mess. Even when the rooms were cleaned up, they still appeared cluttered.

Just by having less stuff, the room appears neater.

RELATED POST: HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR KIDS ROOM IN ONE HOUR

Once you have pared down the stuff, find a spot for everything. This step is really for having kids eventually being able to straighten their rooms on their own.

It really cuts down on cleaning time when you know where everything goes. You don’t have to stop and think about where to put something. It becomes second nature to put things back where they belong.

This step is really a matter of personal choice for each family. You might require to have your kid’s room straightened up every night before bed.

Honestly, for our family, I have relaxed on this expectation to a once a week requirement. While it might be nice to have everyone’s rooms tidy every single day, we’ve decided it really isn’t necessary. My boys especially play hard in their shared room. Sometimes we have to cut them off mid play to go to bed. I’m happy they are playing and especially happy that the mess is contained in their room. I can’t get stressed every time the kids make a mess in their rooms. No one else in the family seems to be too worried about it.

But, every family is different, so decide what your comfort level of mess is and make sure everyone knows about it.

If you pick a once or twice a week plan, decide exactly what day and when that time is. It becomes a part of everyone’s routine if they know exactly when room cleaning takes place.

We have currently decided that Saturday morning is our family clean up time. That day and time may change as spring sports pick up. But for now, this time is working out great for everyone. Inevitably, we need to do a little clean up on Sunday because the rooms can get messy with weekend play. But, Saturday morning is the deep clean time. The kids clean out their trash bins, put away their clean clothes,etc.

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This leads to the next tip, be clear on exactly what a room cleaning means.

I’ve got a CHECKLIST to make it easy for you! As the kids get older, requirements will change! But this is a great list for elementary age kids to do on their own (and younger kids to do with assistance).

I’m at a point where the kids can pretty much do everything on their own but that doesn’t mean I don’t help them from time to time.

Something I’ve learned, is that I need to keep my own rooms cleaned if I expect my kids to do the same!

I’ve had moments of frustration when my kids rooms are a mess and I’m grumpy about it. Then I walk in my own room and realize it is not cleaned up. Oops!!

Now, we all clean up on Saturdays, so the kids see us cleaning up our own messes too.

Also, I try to offer help and guidance if I see one of the kids struggling. I also hope by offering a hand on their messes, they are learning to help others clean up messes too (even when it is not their own).

Overall, I want room cleaning to be a positive experience that brings a sense of joy…not a sense of frustration.

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Our family has come a long way on keeping our bedrooms cleaned. It did not happen over night and the key was being consistent! Don’t forget to get the Kids Clean Room Checklist HERE!