As a mother and an aunt I have learned that children often need very specific direction, especially younger children. Telling a child to simply clean their room does not give a whole lot of direction but does leave room for a whole lot of misinterpretation.

As a parent you can say, “I want all this junk cleared off the floor.” You child can respond by shoving toys under the bed, under their pillow, in the closet or some other out-of-sight place. According to them they did just what you asked, they got the junk cleared off the floor, but they did not do what you intended, which was to put everything back where it belonged.

The first step to clear up this confusion is clearer and more specific communication. Tell your child exactly what you want them to do. When there room needs cleaning don’t just say, “Clean up this mess,” say, “I want you to pick up each toy and put it back where it originally belongs. Second create a storage system that makes a place for all their different toys. Cleaning up toys and games will be easier for your child if everything has a certain place. A place for everything will also give your child a sense of control since they will be able to find toys without help from a parent.

Creating an organized environment in your child’s bedroom will take some time and effort, but once established, this organization will be invaluable. Shelves, bins, drawers and hooks are just a few things that will help keep your child organized. Labels will also help. If you have bins labeled car, dolls, animals, coloring books, clay, dinosaurs, you child will have no doubt about were certain toys belong The exact method doesn’t really matter that much, what maters is that your child knows where each toy goes in his bedroom.