Messy Kids - What Do You Do?

If your child creates mess wherever they go, it's time to take action and look for solutions.
Messy Kids - What Do You Do?

Last update: 24 June, 2020

Coexistence in a family can be difficult if your home isn’t a healthy environment. Any mother or father knows that it’s hard to keep a house clean when you have messy kids. However, what do you do about it?

There’s nothing worse than continually trying to keep your house clean and having small tornados following you messing everything up. Kids can leave dirt everywhere, toys all over the floor, and not clean up after themselves.

While some mess is normal, you don’t want to let your child act like it’s your job to clean up after them. If your child fails to take responsibility for their mess, it’s time to take charge. If you don’t, it will only get worse and it will become harder to correct their behavior.

Education is everything

Parents reading a book with their child.

For a child to learn good behavior from a young age, they have to form good habits. You have to teach your child that at home you need to respect the rules, be careful, be considerate, and help out around the house.

Failing to properly educate children is something that’s becoming more common in society. Many children now don’t know how to do basic things like taking care of their homes. However, the place where you live and rest should give a feeling of well-being.

From a young age, children need to be educated in house rules and good habits. However, to truly educate your children, you need to set a good example. Your children should see you clean the house and know that a tidy home is important.

You cannot make people learn. You can only provide the right conditions for learning to happen.

-Vince Gowmon-

Messy kids – how to know when it’s a problem

Sometimes it's hard to know when messy kids are a true problem.

This question actually has a simple answer. In fact, you just have to observe their behavior, their actions, and their attitudes on a daily basis. Also, their room can be the main reference point to check on how messy your child is.

If you notice that your child doesn’t make the bed, has clothes all over the floor, never cleans, and doesn’t care about having a room like this, it’s time to intervene. You have to show your child that this isn’t okay.

Tips to help your child stop being so messy

An organized closet.

There is no magic formula to change your child’s mentality. This is especially true if your child is a teenager because, as we all know, teenagers can be difficult. Let’s look at some tips below that can help your child change:

  • As we’ve said before, it’s important to keep an orderly, clean house. Parents should lead by example and be a role model. As the adults in the household, you should show them proper ways to clean.
  • Good habits are fundamental. We need to teach messy kids that certain household chores need to be done every day. These chores include making their beds, dusting, tidying up their room, folding clothes, and generally trying to keep their space clean and tidy.
  • Initially, you might really need to get on top of your kids to get them to do their chores. However, you have to make them do it. If you give in and do it for them, you’ll only make the situation worse.
  • Avoid allowing your messy kids to control your home!
  • Being a bit pushy about chores is actually a positive thing. However, you can help your kids and show them how to clean properly. That way, your kids can learn how to clean their rooms and the whole house with you since they live there too. Your kids should be involved in household chores too.

Messy kids and a messy home affects the whole family

A messy kitchen.

If you have very messy kids, this problem can spread beyond their room and into the rest of your home. In fact, the bathroom is usually the next space that becomes a mess.

However, you have to deal with the problem and make it clear that this can affect the whole family. It’s important that your messy kids see how their actions negatively affect the whole family. Mess and disorder affect the atmosphere of the home.

No one wants to get the point where you have to argue about the mess. Instead, try to teach your kids from the time they’re young how to be responsible for their own mess and to clean up after themselves.

 


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Kondo, Marie: La magia del orden, Aguilar, 2001.
  • Tabero, Pepa: Manual de la casa limpia y ordenada, La Esfera, 2016.