A tidy home is a happy home; it’s where we gather and find a sense of order, control, and, at best, calmness. The home provides us with a centering; the house’s outward appearance can be a reflection of the inward being. A tidy, organized home can structure our daily lives and habits. If we have a family, decluttering and organizing can be a bit more challenging than if we were only maintaining our items. Here are some practical tips on keeping your child’s room tidy; these are not meant to be rules, but rather ideas to be modified to work with your standards, goals, and family size.
Include the Kiddos
Including your child or children in the process is essential in teaching them how to maintain a clutter-free, tidy room. This, of course, will depend on the age of the child. When our daughter was about three years old, we began to include her in the process.
Kiddos seem to accumulate a lot quickly, receiving items from family members, school, and so on. It’s best to be mindful of the things while they are coming into the home. If you don’t like the gift, it does not match your family’s lifestyle and values, discard it; it’s that simple. Including your child in the process maintains their trust, allowing them to decide what to keep and pitch, and helping them understand the process. Good habits are lifelong tools and are established during the formative years.
Pause & Clean-up
We clean up before the next activity, creating a simple urgency to clean up quickly. I’m still amazed at how efficient our daughter becomes with time when she’s excited to move on to the next activity. This, of course, will vary with age, but whatever the activity or leisure pursuit, cleaning up before moving on is a habit that becomes second nature over time. This type of motivating incentive shows a natural consequence to fulfilling our duties. Clean up promptly, and the natural consequence is more leisure time. Having age-appropriate responsibilities demonstrates that there is no free lunch; we all must contribute to the home and take pride in maintaining it.
Leave Margin
Leaving a margin between activities gives us time to pause and clean up, not leaving an unwanted mess. We live in a fast-paced time; the more I look around, the more I notice how over-scheduled we are as a culture. Scheduling slightly less and leaving some time in the day for home maintenance allows a reset, a pause throughout the day. By no means do I think people should love doing chores, but I also do believe hating them is ineffective. I try to be in the moment as much as possible; for some reason, the task becomes enjoyable and no longer feels mundane. When I posture myself with a joyful attitude, taking pride in our home, our daughter seems to participate in the daily tasks of a tidy home naturally. Find what works for you, such as putting on music, a podcast, or something that makes it enjoyable.
House Standards
Take time to declutter and cull items to the amount you are comfortable with maintaining. Once the room looks the way you want it, have a chat with the kiddos, and let them know this is the expectation on how it’s to be kept. I find the one-in, one-out rules helpful; it’s an excellent way to keep the excess at bay.
Final Thoughts
Homes are very personal, and each home will have a customized approach. Working together as a team to share tidy tasks can build a strong bond. We try to have fun with it as much as possible; silly dancing and giggling while tidying up can go a long way in creating a Simple, Sweet, Home.