The children’s bedrooms are always over crowded, messy and in need of a good cleaning out. Spring isn’t the only time when you can tackle this job, tackling this job around the holidays or a birthday is always prime time as well. Most often, if a child is outgrowing toys, clothes or other goodies in their rooms’ things will start to pile up making the room seem smaller and smaller. Here is how you are going to be able to clean out that room and without fighting with your child about it!
About a month before the Holiday Seasons approach or you can wait until about two weeks before if you have the time, start telling your young child that the two of you are going to go through their room and clean it out. Explain to your child in words that they will understand that they are going to be getting more toys and presents so they have to make room. It is also a good practice to take the older toys that they have out grown and donate them to charity so that your child sees the toys going to good use for another younger boy or girl.
When you are ready to tackle the room, start your day out early and bright. This is one of the times your child is going to be rested, in a good mood and ready to get to work on their room. Around nap time, when your child is hungry or when their favorite show is ready to come on can mean that you are going to be up for a fight or crying spell You also are going to be in a better mood and have more patience with your child at this time. Start with the closet and then work under the bed. It is best to start tackling the toys right away so that in case your child loses interest, you will at least have this much done, and you can do the dresser (the clothes) by yourself with no trouble if needed. If you child has four trucks, let them keep two, if they have four puzzles let them keep one or two, and if your child have ten dolls, have her pick out her favorite two or three.
One thing to keep in mind is to keep reminding your child that they are getting new things and new toys so they have to make more space and they will be more willing to give up more toys that they have outgrown or that they don’t play with as often.
If you are going to clean out your child’s room in the spring months or at another time when you feel that their playroom or bedroom is getting out of control you can use emotions to help them ‘release’ or ‘get rid of’ some of the things in their room. Use the old tactic that they are getting older now and some things should be given to younger children, because now they are getting older.
One example is where a ten or eleven year old refuses to give up her little EZ bake oven. Tell her it is time she started using the real oven (with your help) of course, and she will gladly give it up. If your son has too many cars in the playroom, you can always say that you want to put some away and let him play with his favorites to get him to give some up. Let him take them outside, once they are outside so long he won’t play with them and you can get rid of them.
Every child has their own incentive for cleaning old items and items that they have outgrown from their playroom or bedroom. One could be, you are at the store and they are begging you for a new toy. Firmly tell them that they will have to give you two other toys they don’t want to play with any more if you buy one new one. In addition, when you get home, be sure to follow through with it. It might be two stuffed animals, two toy cars, anything that is going to make them realize that they have to put limits on what they have in their rooms.
Another thing that you can easily do is when you child leaves for school or is napping in another room, you can go through the toy boxes and throw any toys that are broken or out of date into a box where your child won’t see them go. When you do this you may only be able to take one or two at a time, but it is better than having all of the items pile up as the toys seem to grow on their own!