I have 2 girls and they won't help clean up after themselves?

Question

I have 2 girls one is almost 6 and the other is almost 3. They make horrible messes. The 3 year old is the worst. We will clean there room and within 30 minutes you can't even walk in there again. The worst part about it is they will not help clean up. Now I know they are little and i don't expect them to scrub the floors or anything I just think they should be able to clean up there toys. I have tried giving them a prize every week and it worked for a while but they just don't care anymore. We went upstairs to clean up there playroom today and I cleaned almost the whole thing. All I asked was my oldest pick up the kitchen set stuff and the youngest pick up all the pennys she threw on the floor from her piggy bank. I had the whole room clean and the stuff I asked them to do is still sitting there. I don't know what to do anymore. Thank you in advance

Answer 1

yeah take their toys away from them.  their not learning.  and when they do start to do better. slowly bring in their toys and tell them how they can earn them back.  my 5 year old son picks up his toys even though he doesnt want to. good luck

Answer 2

Try making them clean up one activity before they go onto another.

If that does not work tell them they must clean up each day or you are going to take all their toys.

If they don't clean up then put their toys in bags and hide them.

Soon they will have no toys.

You have to explain that they have to pick up after themselves or they don't get to have any toys.

Then slowly give them back the toys one by one, they can earn them back for cleaning up toys that they already have.

Also, make it easy for them to clean up.

Answer 3

Well first of all stop picking the stuff up - by doing this they know you will do it - so why should they?  

My husband and I ask our 4 year old to pickup - when he says no we take it and throw it out (well we don't throw it out - we take it and put it in a trash bag and hide in my cellar or closet........

So when they have nothing left to play with - they will know why.  They need to learn responsibility..  BE CONSISTENT!

Answer 4

I'm just going to throw out some advise:

*If they don't clean up or do what you tell them, take something away from them.

*Try giving them allowance.

*Change up the prize ( award), they got bored so maybe this time a trip to their fav. place, pizza night, 30 min. extra on the whatever day to stay up past lights out.

* If they don't listen no rewards, bottom line

A six year old is not too old for time out. You can still use that, my parents started grounding me at 5 yrs. I wasn't allowed to go outside and play for a couple of days.

Answer 5

Well our children are 7, 4 almost 5, 3 almost 4, and 9 months.  We started early with all of our kids.  Like with our 9 month old now, we will show him - hey its time to pick up our toys - and he laughs.  It just shows him hey this is what we do.  We always started by helping them pick up their toys, here or there.  We would make a game out of it.  With the older ones ... we have a daily chore chart/guideline of whats expected and schedule.  They have rules, they know whats to be expected of them.  Like they can keep their room in a disaster, but they know before dinner all toys have to be picked up.  So they know every night all toys are to be picked up.  They get stickers everyday for their good behaviors.  On their charts they get a sticker for certain catagories ... 1)good hygene(brushing teeth, bath, trying to get dressed by themselves), 2)general good behavior with everyone in the house(no fighting, etc...), 3)being respectful of parents, 4)chores(our 7 yr. old son makes sure the dog's have water, makes sure all his sheets/blankets are on his bed(not made but on the bed), puts his dishes in the sink after each meal, keeps his toys picked up(we have toy boxes), and puts his already folded clothes away.)  (our 4 almost 5 yr. old daughter loves to help me fold laundry, puts away her clothes, makes sure all her sheets/blankets are on her bed, puts her dishes in the sink after meals, keeps her toys pick up, and puts away her clothes.)  (our 3 almost 4 yr. old son puts away his folded laundry the best he can, picks up his toys, makes sure his sheets/blankets on his bad, puts his dishes in the sink.)  Now as long as they make an attempt they get a sticker.  Kids aren't perfect by any means.  Now at the end of everyday we tally up the stickers.  And if they have 3 out of 4 stickers - they will get an extra snack(an apple, fruit snack, sometimes candy, etc...).  At the end of the week they have a chance to get 28 stickers ... They can either save up the stickers or use them.  So many stickers gets a reward.  28 stickers - trip to the dollar store.  56 stickers - get to rent a movie.  84 stickers - trip to bonkers(indoor playland here).  112 stickers - special outing with either mom/dad.  There are also consequences for their bad behaviors.  If they decide not to clean, they get a time out.  If they decide to be defiant, they can loose stickers, or sometimes toys.  My kids are not perfect by any means, and they have had bad days.  My oldest son has ADHD.  But this system helps us, and I hope this might help you.  Its just a suggestion.

Answer 6

Start throwing thier toys away and when they have nothing to play with you can tell them " I told you to pick up your toys". It worked pretty well for me. I learned that if I want to have things I need to take care of them. Now I happen to be extremly organized.

Answer 7

everytime i wouldnt pick up a toy, mom would get the garbage bag out, and start heading for the playroom.  i knew she meant business.  she would say "if you don't pick up your doll, then i will have to pick her up, and she will have to go into the garbage."  and one time i actually saw my mom take a garbage bag of my toys outside and put them in the dumpster, but she went back later and got them out.  but i learned to pick up my toys after that!

Answer 8

when they don't pick up what you tell them to get you a box and put their things in that box and  put it where they can't get to it. when they do as they are told let them earn one toy out of the box. you might need  a large box to start with but it works.  good luck

Answer 9

my kids do this and now they've gotten alot better, mine are five and four and i sweep everything into a pile on the floor and i say come and get your toys out because whatever is left is going in the garbage by the time im done getting everything else out

and they get them out in a hurry