Back to School Reset: How to Motivate Kids to Clean

Ten easy ways to motivate kids to clean, get organized, and build good habits that last.

As lazy summer days progress to the super-charged return of busy school days, families can feel overwhelmed by the transition. Here are some helpful tips to reset, organize, and encourage children and their caregivers to keep it simple, clean, and fun.

Make Room for What’s Next

Tip #1: De-clutter to make room for what’s coming in.
Collaborate with your children to make room for new things like books, clothing, and toys. Ask them to set up three bins, baskets, bags, or piles. Help them create categories: things they no longer want, no longer need, no longer work, no longer fit, etc.

Depending on their age, address only one to three categories at a time. Ask them to find as many things in their room as possible that fit into the categories they made. Help, but don’t do it for them.

Tip #2: Re-sort the unwanted items together.
Have them sort the items into trash/recycling, donations, and hand-me-downs. Or consider a “for sale” category if a tag sale is in your near future. Instead of a lemonade stand, selling some of their things could be a fun way to help them earn money. Two lessons in one: they learn the value of things while learning how to let go of things they no longer use.

Explain the benefits of each way to dispose of things. It will make it easier for them to part with items they may otherwise want to hold on to but may never think about again. “Dolly will have another life with a child who wants a new friend,” for example.

Tip #3: Play dress-up.
With clothing that may need to go, consider a fashion show. Turn a “try this on to see if it still fits” session into a fashion show. Let them find out on their own, or with your help, what still works for them and what they can no longer fit into by letting them “produce” the show. It can become a yearly back-to-school tradition as you bring in new school clothes.

This is also a great playdate idea. For young kids, have an older “Master of Ceremonies” oversee the production to make sure it’s directed and you don’t end up with a big pile of everything everywhere!

Make It Easy to Clean Up

Tip #4: Make it easy for them.
Have an accessible and logical landing place for kids’ bookbags, coats, and shoes.

Tip #5: Encourage a habit.
Whenever they walk from one room to another, have them bring one thing that belongs in the room they are going to.

Tip #6: Give important things a “home place.”
Help kids make a “home place” for all their important things. Teach them that if they always put these things in their place, they will be less likely to lose their most important or beloved items. Think about poor Teddy that they can’t sleep without!

Make Cleaning Up Fun

Tip #7: Do a fun 10-Minute Reset.
Turn on their favorite music and give them 10 minutes to clean up. They can even dance while they do it! How many things can they put away before the time is up?

Specific suggestions are most helpful:

• Pick up all your clothing and put it either in the hamper or away in its place.
• Put one category of items away: books, toys, dolls, trucks, etc.
• Can they find 10 things that are out of place and put them back where they belong?
• Can they fill a wastepaper basket with garbage from their room?

Tip #8: Give them appropriate cleaning tools.
A small nylon brush for “cleaning” grout while in the bath. A small squeegee to use on tiles or a glass shower door. A kid-size broom and dustpan for sweeping.

Kids love Dustbusters or helping with vacuuming. Many seven-year-olds, for example, can maneuver a lightweight cordless stick vacuum. Give them their own Swiffer for dusting their room.

Tip #9: Make it into a game.
Making these activities into a game, a competition (if they are competitive), or a challenge can:

• Provide motivation.
• Make cleaning a fun activity.
• Help you manage your household.
• Teach good habits.

Tip #10: Play monkey see, monkey do.
Clean by example. Children learn by watching what you do, so let them see you cleaning, organizing, and putting things back where they belong. Great habits start with great examples at home.

Together You Will Create Cleaning Habits That Last

The goal is not just to get kids to clean their rooms. By making cleaning and organizing approachable, age-appropriate, and even fun, you can help children develop good habits that make everyday family routines a little easier and set them up for cleaner, healthier routines and lifelong habits that support independence and responsibility.