As a parent, you’d love nothing more than your kids cleaning up their own mess. Especially if the scene of having toys and crafts projects strewn messily on the floor, or dirty clothes placed everywhere but the hamper is a familiar scene to you.

But how does one get started in teaching their kids to clean up after themselves? This article was made to give you a few tips on how to do that. Teaching your kids to clean up for themselves is an important habit, and it teaches them to have some responsibility in taking care of the house. Here are a few tips to help put some order in your household:

Show them how

Before your child can really develop the good habit of cleaning up, you’ll need to show them how first. Spend time with them to show them the ropes of how you want things done, “toys go in this basket, stuffed toys go in this basket, and used clothes go to this basket”

This is also a great way for you to bond with your child. Before you know it, they’ll be cleaning up on their own.

Divide and Conquer

If your child’s room is too big, he or she might be too overwhelmed to clean up after his or herself. In this situation, you need to help your child break things down so things will be much easier for them.

For instance, you can divide the room into quadrants and have your child clean up one-quarter of the room at a time. It’ll also be helpful to set up a list of tasks your child can do. Things like putting laundry inside the basket and then putting toys away properly. This approach will help your child overcome the thought of, “I’m never going to be able to do this!”

The Sibling Challenge

A little healthy competition can go a long way. If your children have a bit of a competitive nature, you can take advantage of that. You can challenge the kids on who can clean up faster, or perhaps who can put the most toys away properly, and so on. They’ll be more eager to clean up if the winner gets a prize.

Make a how-to video

We’re moving into an increasingly digital world and children are quick to learn how to take photos and videos with their devices. Some even take it a step further and learn how to edit photos and videos. A great way to bind with your kids is to create your own how-to video on how to clean up a room.

Use a rewards chart

Having a star reward chart is a great way to motivate your kids to keep up the good habit of cleaning up. You could put up a star every time your child would clean up or do his or her chores and once they’ve reached a certain number of stars, you can give them a reward for their hard work. It could be ice cream or a trip to the movies, nothing too big so you can do it on a weekly basis.

Once your child has built up the habit of cleaning up after themselves, it’ll surely make the house all the easier to manage. Happy cleaning!