Getting your kids to clean their room should not be a chore for you. There are ways to help kids understand the importance of keeping their room clean and showing them how easy it is to keep everything in its place by helping them the first few times.

* Set a Schedule

Let your kids know when they should clean their room and not just to tell them to clean their room every time you decide it has gotten too messy. A schedule can work like every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before dinner, your kids should clean their room. Or every day after dinner - or whatever schedule will work with them. It is important that if a child is really young that they understand schedules and that a room cleaning chore does not just surprise them.

* Help Them out at First

When children are about four or five, it is time that they learn how to pick up after themselves. The first few times that you ask your children to clean their rooms, you should help them. Cleaning a room by himself or herself may feel like a punishment for the child. So help and guidance will assist in easing the child into the habit of keeping their room clean. After helping them the first few times, let them do the tasks on their own, but continue to check in on them to see if you can help. With time, they will become better and faster at getting their room clean.

* Breakdown the Tasks

Cleaning a whole room may be overwhelming to some kids because they can only see the big picture. Consider breaking down the tasks for your kids so that the process is much easier to handle. For instance, you and your child may pick up toys, books, and clothes from off the floor and put them in their proper places. You may decide to pick up the clothes and have your child pick up the toys. This allows you both to be working together which will help your children not feel so alone and overwhelmed. If your kids share a room, then give each child a separate task that he or she can concentrate on. Now move through each of the tasks together, this may include making the bed, organizing books, vacuuming, and so forth.

*Everything in its Place

When helping your child clean his or her room, make sure that there are specific places where items belong. All stuffed animals should have their own place, all books should be designated to a shelf or bookcase, all worn clothes should be put into the hamper. Having structure will help your children become more comfortable cleaning their room and once they learn where everything belongs, they will able to complete the task much faster and more efficiently.

*Compliment Them on a Job Well Done

Once your children have gotten the hang of cleaning their rooms, do not forget to compliment them on a job well done. Cleaning their room should not feel like a punishment, it should feel more like a reward to helping the family keep the entire house clean.