Never Say To A Child:
"GO CLEAN YOUR ROOM!"

by Marcia Ramsland, author of
Simplify Your Life:
Get Organized
and Stay That Way!

Never tell a child, "Go clean your room!"
What?! Yes, that's right. Telling a child to "Go clean your room" is like telling an adult, "Go clean the garage or the basement!" It is overwhelming.

Instead direct your child to one specific task: "Go make your bed," or "Put away all your clothes," or "Clean everything off the floor."

Five Steps to a Clean Bedroom

Since this is the largest surface, the room is now 50-70% clean!

2) Put everything "away" on the floor.
Start at the doorway and move everything (besides obvious trash) from the floor to the bed.

3) Clean up the rest by three categories:

• Clothes: put in hamper, or away in drawers and closet.
• Papers and books: organize papers in notebooks or a file, and books on shelves.
• Toys or favorite collections: place on open shelves.
  

4) Add one extra cleaning area per week after the above three steps:

• Desktop
• Dresser top
• Nightstand
• Closet
  

5) Empty the wastebasket often.

Organizing expert Emily Barnes says, "Children don't do what you expect, but what you inspect." So check on any cleaning they do.

I am a firm believer that "If you work orderly, you will think orderly." What a great academic help orderly habits at home can be for kids!

Excerpted and adapted with permission from speaker and author Marcia Ramsland's, "Ages and Stages of Getting Children Organized" booklet.


Marcia Ramsland is well known as "The Organizing Pro" for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives. She is a speaker, author, and media guest expert appearing on TV, radio, and in national magazines for her popular books Simplify Your Life, Simplify Your Time, and Simplify Your Holidays (Thomas Nelson). Visit her website, www.organizingpro.com for free tips.