Clean-up Motivation

I was talking to my sister-in-law Joy about some ideas I have to help our kids clean up. It is always a struggle of course, because we are just like every other family. I don't think anyone LIKES to clean up, including me.

   

 I remember as a kid when my room was so messy, I would just sit there, not knowing where to start in cleaning it up. My mom would eventually come down and sit with me and tell me where to start and what to do. It helped to break it up and do little bits at a time. I still feel this way. If the job feels huge, I don't even know where to start. If an adult feels this way, you know kids do too. So these are some things I do to help the kids when they are cleaning up.

   

 1) This is a trick that I use A LOT. I learned it when I taught school. I choose an item. Then I tell the kids that whoever can find my item, wins. The kids run around cleaning up, until I say that someone has found my item. Of course, I never tell the kids who found my item until after the whole job is done. Sometimes the person that finds my item gets a small treat, sometimes a high five, sometimes a hug, sometimes they are just the "winner," whatever the prize is for the day. You can play this multiple times in one room. When our family rooms gets really messy, I break it up into categories. For example, first I choose an army guy, and then they clean up all the army guys. Then we do all of the cars, then the books, etc. I tell them who the winner is after each category which motivates them throughout our whole game. 2) Sometimes I do progressive rewards. I start with a small job. When they finish it, they get something. Then I give the next job which is a little bigger, and a little bigger reward after they finish that job. The rewards are always small, but they can still motivate our kids. Some things I have used when desperate for help- 3 Mini marshmallows 5 chocolate chips 1 BIG marshmallow skittles a sticker a starburst a nickle five pennies a hug gum a story Keep it little so that the expectations stay low. 3) Have the kids decide what needs to be cleaned up, and let them choose what jobs they want to start with. Let them choose the order that they clean up. (as long as they do it, I guess) 4) I think one of the biggest things is to work with them. Every job is so much easier when you work together. Our kids are getting better, where they can do things without constant supervision and help. But when it is really big and bad, I have found that working with them is the best way to get it done without having to get frustrated and upset at them when they don't do it. I certainly DO NOT claim to have it down, or have a clean house. You all know that. But these are some things I can think of right now that have helped us. What things do you do?