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Teaching Your Child to Clean!

Copyright (c) 2004-2023

When you call 911 because there is a distinct and suspicious
odor in the neighborhood and the culprit turns out to be two
pairs of sneakers, three pairs of underwear and a dozen or more
hotdog remnants of unknown origin and vintage found under your
child's bed, it's past time to get your child's room organized!
When your child has gotten lost for hours in the mounds of
clutter trying to find his way from the bed to the door, it's
past time to teach your child to organize himself! But if you
haven't reached that stage yet, there is still hope!

Here are some tips to help you teach your children neatness
and organization:

1. Your child learns by example. If the only clear area of
your home is the path from the sofa to the television to
the refrigerator and back, then it's time to commit to
organizing your home! Make the process a family project
so that your children can learn that everyone must pitch
in to keep the home tidy.

2. Establish a routine and stick with it! Teach your child that
beds are made and toys are picked up every day. It is easier
for a child to clean a room a little every day, rather than
be faced with a huge mess all at once.

3. Provide plenty of storage - shelves, plastic storage
containers, hampers, etc. Create a special storage area
out of a plastic storage unit made for storing garden tools.
Attach laundry bags in colorful colors to the hooks meant
for rakes and shovels. Spray paint the unit in a cheerful
color to match the room. Voila! A fun storage area!


4. Reward your child's cleaning and organizing efforts with
fun! Make a checklist of tasks with a reward when the tasks
are completed such as permission to watch a favorite show,
time to play a favorite computer game, a special story time
with you or staying up an hour past bedtime. Simple rewards
such as these will provide an incentive to keep up the good
work! Make a game of cleaning! This works especially well
with young children. A game of "Pick Up" to see which of you
can pick up more clothes within a certain time limit or a
game of "Hide the Clothes in the Hamper" will make cleaning
more fun!

5. Be specific. Telling a child to "clean that room" can set
the stage for failure and frustration. The task may seem
overwhelming! But telling your child to pick up the clothes
which are on the floor allows your child to focus in on a specific,
achievable task.

6. Limit the amount of "stuff" your child has. Once a month, go
through your child's room together and give toys and clothes
that have been outgrown and are no longer needed to those
less fortunate. Not only will your child's room stay cleaner,
but they will learn a valuable lesson in sharing and giving.

Although you may think it inevitable, the process of keeping
your child's bedroom clean need not be a war! If you are
consistent with the rules, your child will learn what is
expected and do it (eventually!). If you are inconsistent,
you have already lost the battle! Better stock up on flashlights
and compasses in case you need to find your way to their closet!


About The Author: Shop Amazon - Top Gift Ideas
Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer and decorator for thirty-five years (YIKES! Has it been that long?). She is the author of "Home and Garden Design Tips", a free weekly syndicated home and garden content service for your website. Get the code at http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com/content_syndication.html . And while you are there, sign up for her monthly newsletter! And visit her other sites at http://www.pajamabusinesses.com and http://www.thewellfedtraveler.com .

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Top-Level Category: Family Articles

10 Most Recent Articles Written by Pamela Cole Harris

Teaching Your Child to Clean!
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-02-28 | Word Count: 561 | Page Views: 4594 | Votes: 19 | Rating: 2.00
When you call 911 because there is a distinct and suspicious odor in the neighborhood and the culprit turns out to be two pairs of sneakers, three pairs of underwear and a dozen or more hot dog remnants of unknown origin and vintage found under your child's bed, it's past time to get your child's room organized!

Stalking the Wild Divan
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-02-21 | Word Count: 618 | Page Views: 3654 | Votes: 14 | Rating: 1.57
You know it's time for a new sofa when the only visable pattern on your old one is the one made by your kid's kool-aid stains. Or when there is more stuffing outside of the sofa than inside. Or when your guests need help "getting out" of your sofa. Or when you find out your sofa was a "divan" when your grandmother bought it new. Finding a new one that is right for your family and your lifestyle is a daunting task, but here are a few tips to make that task a bit easier:

PB and Js And Licking The Bowl - The Joys Of A Kid Friendly Kitchen!
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-02-14 | Word Count: 554 | Page Views: 5452 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 3.00
Remember licking the bowl when you were a kid? Or making your own peanut butter sandwiches with grape, or better yet strawberry, jelly? Mmmmm... the smell of homemade oatmeal cookies! And they were even better because you knew you helped make them! Kitchens can be a place of special memories for kids of any generation. Are you building those memories with your children or do you view the kitchen as a dangerous place for kids?

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Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-02-14 | Word Count: 406 | Page Views: 5989 | Votes: 14 | Rating: 2.36
Need a new headboard, but don't have a fortune to spend? How about using things you already have or things that others may want to discard to make a custom headboard that is not only stylish and creative, but inexpensive as well!

How I Lost 50 Pounds in Two Weeks and Gained a New Living Room!
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-02-07 | Word Count: 587 | Page Views: 4608 | Votes: 14 | Rating: 2.36
OK...I was spilling over, outgrowing everything, the beautiful bits hidden under mounds of muddle and it was time – past time – to lose it! I thought about using dynamite to blast it away, but that was too messy and probably illegal!

Stalking the Wild Divan
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-01-11 | Word Count: 0 | Page Views: 3870 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 0.50
You know it's time for a new sofa when the only visable pattern on your old one is the one made by your kid's kool-aid stains. Or when there is more stuffing outside of the sofa than inside. Or when your guests need help *getting out* of your sofa. Or when you find out your sofa was a *divan* when your grandmother bought it new. Finding a new one that is right for your family and your lifestyle is a daunting task, but here are a few tips to make that task a bit easier:

Ten Creative Headboard Ideas for Frugal Decorators
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Need a new headboard, but don't have a fortune to spend? How about using things you already have or things that others may want to discard to make a custom headboard that is not only stylish and creative, but inexpensive as well!

How I Lost 50 Pounds in Two Weeks and Gained a New Living Room!
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2008-01-07 | Word Count: 0 | Page Views: 2415 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 0.50
OK...I was spilling over, outgrowing everything, the beautiful bits hidden under mounds of muddle and it was time - past time - to lose it! I thought about using dynamite to blast it away, but that was too messy and probably illegal! I thought of calling a small third world county and telling them I had more than enough if they could use some extra - but that would probably cause an international crisis. So I decided to do it the hard way - one step at a time. Yes, it was time to de-clutter my living room!

Perfectly Easy! Repairing Damaged Vinyl Flooring
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2006-05-07 | Word Count: 0 | Page Views: 2374 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 0.50
So you got the perfect refrigerator. For the perfect kitchen. Miles and miles of virgin stainless steel. Perfect width. A virtual soda fountain in the door. And as your husband (just a shade less than perfect) pulls it across the floor to that perfect spot wayyyyy on the other side of the kitchen, you hear a slight ripping sound. Can stainless steel rip? Not likely. Your husband gives it another pull. The same sound. Looking down to investigate (as any perfect homeowner would), you discover that your perfect vinyl flooring now has a wide, perfectly-jagged tear. Yikes!

Finishing Your Basement Walls: At Home with Furring, Shims and Plumb
Written by: Pamela Cole Harris | Distributed: 2006-05-07 | Word Count: 0 | Page Views: 2484 | Votes: 2 | Rating: 0.50
In the past, many homes were built with unfinished basements and the homeowner used those dark, bare, usually damp spaces for storage, laundry, or large collections of spider webs and dust bunnies. You may have bought one yourself and now, with the high price of new housing, you are looking to expand your current house to meet your family’s needs (do your covenants really allow 10 story ranch houses?). That unused basement seems be the answer!

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