How to handle clean up...

Yesterday I told my kids they would have no electronics until they picked up their toys and trash from the floor (there isn't that much, seriously it would take me 5 minutes). They didn't do it and instead spent the afternoon playing and making more messes.
 
This morning they played a bit more, I told them we'd go to the water park later... Now it's time to go and I just looked and they haven't picked up a single thing. So I told them no water park until they pick up (and none at all if they don't do it soon as they have a birthday party tonight). Huge drama. But that's the thing... they don't care. They're horribly messy and NEVER pick up unless I threaten them with something. Heck, they didn't care about no tv or no games at all yesterday, if anything they'd rather complain instead of taking 5 minutes to clean up.. I'm horribly jealous of those moms whose kids always pick up after themselves. Nothing's even sorted anymore, there are game pieces all over the bins because frankly, I gave up after 6 months as I'm the only person in the house who cares, apparently. They don't even have that much anymore as I cleared 5 bins of toys lately.
 
Sigh. How do you handle it?

 

I just stick to my guns.
 
I tell them the day before, the living room/kitchen/whatever has to be cleaned up by whatever time, or no screen time.  No television, no DS, no computer time.  Or tomorrow they have a birthday party to go to, and I'll tell them tonight that their rooms need to be clean before bed or they won't go tomorrow.  I've really only had to enforce it two or three times before they realized that I'm serious about it.  Now it might take them until whatever their deadline is to get the job done, and that's with me reminding them multiple times, but I figure, they're six, they're not perfect, I'm 38 and I'm not perfect about keeping house.  In fact, I should be working now, and I'm busy procrastinating because it's much more fun to be online than working. 
 
But when they do something without me asking?  Like if they bring dishes to the kitchen sink while I'm doing dishes, or if they match socks or whatever, I make sure that I praise them, and now I even pay them sometimes for doing additional chores. 

 

When we get into a bad cycle with something, I pull out the sticker chart again.  I put specific requests/expectations on it and use it to reward the behavior I want to see.  They are so competitive, that if one kid gets a reward and the other doesn't, it causes a big fight.  So I can kind of use that to my advantage sometimes, since there is usually one kid more willing to listen/help and the other kid is very competitive!  I break it down to small things like: clean up after yourself, room must be clean at bedtime each night, put your dishes in the sink when you're done...and then it's on me to find the little things they are doing well and put the sticker on the chart.  Things that I probably would have been too busy and overlooked in the past, I start recognizing again.  Usually 10-15 stickers gets them a trip to the Target dollar spot, or an ice cream or a trip to the park or something.. 
 
I sometimes find I get so busy as well, that I'm not keeping them in the habit.  And sometimes I am horrible about cleaning up after myself, I feel like they get it from me!  I'll find random stuff all over the place, wherever they feel like dropping it.  My son is notorious for this and it drives me crazy.  That's when I pull the chart out again, when I can't take it anymore and I realize we're in a rut.  I will probably be doing it when the school year starts again, to get us all back on schedule.  Last year I had to add things like wake up like a big kid, get dressed and be by downstairs by X time, do your homework without having to be told more than once.  Just basic stuff that should be easy to handle.  But it forced them (and me) to think about it and get them into the habit and on a good routine again.  That's my positive reward system.
 
For my negative, when I just get fed up with behavior, not listening, having to tell them something repeatedly, I have a chart that I take minutes off bedtime for.  I do it in 5 minute increments.  Again, they're so competitive.  So as long as it's not equal and one kid has at least 5 minutes more than the other, it's a big deal to them.  I just use a small little whiteboard on the fridge with their initials on top.  And I add on the minutes for the day under each kid and wipe them clean for the next.
 
Some days it works out well, others not so much.  you just have to find the thing they care about and use it to your advantage.  If electronics or play time isn't doing it, there's probably something else more important to them.  Or if there isn't, then I would do a consequence that is more immediate.  Make them go to their room or do a chore they really hate or something.

 

Reducing the number of toys was definitely a big help in our house, although I feel like we could easily still reduce by half again (my goal is to have that done by Christmas in preparation for the influx of new stuff). The second thing that made a world of difference for us was having very clear homes for every single item (I've actually labelled everything now) and I took the girls through the house and showed them exactly where I expect everything to be put away. The third thing we did, and this is what has made the biggest difference, is started a habit of 10 minute tidy ups. I don't try and make them clean up after themselves as they go, it's too frustrating for them and me. But immediately following lunch and dinner, every day, we all pitch in and do a 10 minute tidy up. I put on some up beat music, set the timer for 10 minutes and we all tidy as much as we can! When the timer beeps, we're done, even if things aren't spotless. I find it works because a) they know it's a short period of time and then they can go back to doing whatever they want, b) they like the challenge of beating the clock and c) they like doing it with me. It doesn't mean the house is always spotless but now that we've been doing it for over a month, by bedtime the house is always tidy (or can be completely tidy within 5 minutes). For my peace of mind, that's all I need.

 

I agree with all these ladies.  We've made cleaning a routine.  They know it is expected of them and I do stick to my consequences. If they go up to play in their rooms, they know before they come back downstairs, the room has to be picked up.  If there are toys out and they cannot reach to put them back, I just tell them to let me know.  Like Rachel, I went through the kids rooms and showed them where different toys and books belong and they are pretty good about getting the stuff back there.  It's not 100% perfect.  Also like Bex said, when they clean up on their own without being told, I make it a point to praise them and thank them for doing a good job.  
 
And if the lack of TV and electronics doesn't bother them...find the currency that will (there is no dessert until you clean up, we cannot go out to play until you clean up, whatever it is....)

 

 
This is almost exactly what we do.  I don't use a timer but before lunch, dinner, bedtime we have about a 10 minute tidy up time.  I help.  If they have trouble getting started I give them specific things to do like L you put away the legos and C you put away stuffed animals and I will do xyz.   I find that telling them to just "pick up" doesn't work.  I have to be specific.  It can be overwelming for kids to look at a mess and have to pick it up.  They don't always know where to start.  Even if to me it doesn't seem like its that huge to them it might be. 

 

I kind of do what others have mentioned. I also just made a chore chart with the boys; they drew all the pictures of the things they're supposed to do during the day. We talked about the rules and agreed on them, and they have to do one extra a day. Is it perfect? No. Do I have to remind them all the dang time? Yes. But they do it, and when they don't comply I can blame the chore chart instead of being the bad guy. As in "look guys, here's the chores you decided you were going to do every day!" I also have a general rule of no one works alone. So if they're working, so am I and vice versa (to an extent.. obviously they go occupy themselves while I am working on some things), But I don't clean or do laundry or whatever without their help. It took a while to get into the routine, but now that we're in it, they just sort of expect it.

 

Для более эффективной уборки и стирки дома я пользуюсь корейскими средствами