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Connections
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| Posted: Nov 17 2008 at 2:43pm | IP Logged
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What are your standards for your elementary aged children's bedrooms? (My DS are 6 and 7.)
How clean do they have to be?
Do you help?
What happens if they get really messy?
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Blessings,
Tracey
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Nov 17 2008 at 3:03pm | IP Logged
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really messy usually requires parental direction in cleaning.. it's just overwhelming and being overwhelmed usually means you don't know how to precede and so don't.
I would like things generally picked up more often than happens BUT we have many children in a small space and so it gets bad fast and while I agree that less would help.. how to figure out less is a difficulty. When to be enough less you'd have to get down to the bare essentials.. meaning no toys, no special things, minimal clothing etc.
messy beds are ok though there are things that are supposed to be there and things that aren't..
floor picked up.. but sweeping and mopping don't have to be every day.
books on shelves, dress up in box, stuffed animals in corner, shoes in closet, clothes hung up or in drawers, dirty laundry in basket (or to the garage if we're doing laundry)
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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LeeAnn
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| Posted: Nov 17 2008 at 6:47pm | IP Logged
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I think it depends on how much/what is kept in the bedroom. For my older two (ages 8 & 11): I encourage them to make beds daily and on Saturday mornings they have to have their floors cleared and clothes hung up before getting a 45-min. computer turn.
My 5 year old makes her bed daily (but she only has a blanket and pillow--keep it simple) and help clean up the toys nightly in the room she shares with little brother (age 2).
Until about 8 or 9 seems to be when my children are capable of cleaning the room themselves, unless it is a total disaster (like after a birthday party or holiday where a bunch of people have come over and pulled everything off the shelves...ahem).
I find that it helps them to give an order for how to do things. First, clothes. Put all the dirties in the hamper, hang all the clean ones. Then, books, put them away. Then dolls. Then papers. Then whatever and so on. I check on them at each stage to "check their work." Ideally, after that they vacuum.
What doesn't work for me is to say "clean your room" and close the door and walk away for two hours. Inevitably I'll come back and they've forgotten what it is they're supposed to do and are reading a book or have gotten something else out.
My 11 yo can have her room clean usually in less than an hour, usually 20-30 minutes. We also usually do house chores together as a family on Saturday mornings after breakfast, to get it done quicker.
If it's a total disaster, I will help my child go through the room item by item and figure out if it's trash, keep or donate. I probably do this twice a year for each bedroom. They are very motivated to give things away by not having to care for it and clean it up any longer.
At 6 and 7, I was probably only requiring them to make beds daily and help clean in the evening. The deep cleaning--vacuuming and really putting things away, I mostly did myself. But the less stuff they have, the less work for you! 
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helene
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| Posted: Nov 17 2008 at 7:21pm | IP Logged
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I require a general bedroom pick-up on Saturday mornings. Then I, or an older child, will vaccuum it. A couple times a year or so (Christmas vacation, summer break, or new baby arrival) the room gets a deep cleaning, meaning an overhaul of everyone's "junk drawer" and re-organizing of bookshelves, etc. with a great big trash bag in the center of the room for "inspiration"......we are having Lego issues, however. Seems like all the Lego enthusiasts around here are the ones who are too young to really pick it up on their own and it ends up being the biggest mess in the room all the time. I don't really want them to stop using Lego though,......what a great toy!
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leanne maree
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| Posted: Nov 22 2008 at 4:27am | IP Logged
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Hi
I have always assisted the children until they are old enough to 'do' there room un supervised. Even little ones-toddlers can pass you bed toys. Sometimes I go in to check on what is going on, as no one has surfaced from bedrooms and I find a game being played as the toys are going away- what do you do, smile and laugh inside,and gently ask 'are you doing as I asked?'
While I am making a bed the children can be putting away any toys/ books not needed for the school day--depending if they are actually playing a long-standing game: like cubbys, have a horse game set up, but I insist there to be room for me to walk around.- (teaching Occup. health and safety )
I like beds made in the morning- We only have doonas and pillows- keeping it simple as stated in an above post.I will usually make or help make beds. the children put bed toys on bed, tidy up floor and straighten up tops of surfaces.
I ask the kids to put clothes that are dirty, to go in the clothes basket after there shower/ bath of a night.
I am a midwife/nurse so I have organisation issues!!  but the kids as they get older- ie my 20 yr old dd really takes it all on board. So its worth keeping consistant.
We Dust and Strip and remake Beds with fresh linen on a Saturday. The children help here as well. Brid likes to choose her next weeks bed clothes, she likes to put on her apron and dust like Cinderella- with classical music and all-
Leanne
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Leanne
Loving wife to Dermot and Adoring mother to Louise, Kristie, Kieran & Brid
http://leannemaree.blogspot.com/
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Children's Bedrooms
