How do I keep my home organized and clean with four young children??

Question

How do I keep my home organized and clean with four young children??

Answer 1

First of all, set your expectations at a reasonable level for yourself and your family....Get the children involved with chore charts and rewards.  Make a job jar with little slips of paper naming a job.  Make sure the chore is age appropriate and work with the children to help them learn and be responsible for the future.  Use timers for you and the kids and remember they are only little once....dust and cobwebs last forever and certainly multiply without much help!  Work on a job for a specific amount of time and then give yourself and children a break.  Make it more enjoyable and pat yourself on the back for making strides and still spending time with your little gifts from God.

Answer 2

Write up a list of all the jobs that need to be done in order to keep the house clean and tidy. Assign jobs to each family member in accordance to age and ability, including yourself and partner (if applicable). When your children are encouraged to help and see how easier life is when everyone, including mummy and daddy, gets stuck in and helps, there are rewards. You can spend more family time together, and if the kids need an incentive, set up a rewards system where they get treats, or money when they do the right thing.

Answer 3

You have to get the kids involved.  Even the youngest child can put a toy in a box.  Kids will take better care of things if they are the ones responsible.  Trust me, I've seen it!

Answer 4

Get off Yahoo Answers and start cleaning

Answer 5

Include your children in the clean-up everyday make it a play time for them and they won't even know that they are picking up.I used to turn on the radio to one of there favorite songs and we would have races to see who could pick up the most things before the song was over and by the time the song was over they were all finished with the pick up.And you can make it a game for just about everything you want them to do and you will be amazed at how much free time you will have not picking up after them.Good luck!

Answer 6

I agree with Kevin M. because I see that you are very active with questions and answers. It is easy to become enthusiastic with ya and spend more time than allotted.

Answer 7

I use the Flylady system, and it really works! I have simple morning and evening routines, and it enables me to stay on top of things, instead of things staying on top of me. It can be overwhelming, so start at it slowly and work into it. The more I use it, the better it works. Here's a link:

http://www.flylady.net/index.asp

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 8

well what i do with my 2 kids is i get bins and put certain recognizable items in each. a bin for stuffed animals, electronic toys, chew toys etc. Give each child a "job" that they can help out with example: sweeping, dusting, clean the floor, put dishes in sink to be washed. just simple lil tasks that they can understand and do. keep bins and tags and assign certain areas for certain items.