by Usha Krishnan

Created on: April 11, 2008

Do you nervously glance over your living room each time the doorbell rings? Do you feel like you're spinning around the entire day picking up toys and books, just to clear a pathway through your home that can be walked on?

Keeping a clean and organized home when there are little children around, can be quite a challenge. But, it's easy to convert this into something fun for all parties involved, and teach children a valuable lifetime lesson as well.

The following tips are easy to handle, get your children involved, and best of all, leave your home organized and tidy.

DESIGNATE A KID'S ONLY AREA: They need a place to play, and if they are not given boundaries, children will be apt to take their toys with them as they traipse through the home. While it's fair to tell them that the living room is an adults only' place, at the same time, you need to give them a children's only' place. This is where they can play, make a mess and not be bothered about having a litter free floor.

BUY BASKETS AND BINS: While they may understand that certain areas like the living room and kitchen are off limits for their toys, children can't be held responsible if they do end up bringing their puzzles or bears with them into these rooms. A good idea is to have baskets or bins in each room in your home. Toss in any unwanted toys/books, which can be sorted at a later time. May sure you use these baskets only for the children, so they know where to place their toys when it's clean up time. If you don't have a basket/bin, a shelf or closet drawer will also suffice.

Play areas too should have shelves, baskets, drawers or other free standing organizers to help your children put away their toys after play each day.

CLEAN UP TIME: Children need to be encouraged from a very early age to help with the clean up. Their bedroom is their sanctuary, and cleaning should start here. Young children can help fluff up pillows and shake out the duvet each morning. They can help sort clothes into the laundry hamper and even fold smaller articles like face towels and underwear. Each evening, get them to help pick up their toys and put them away in their appropriate space. Using funny songs like the clean up' song will turn it from being a chore, into a fun filled event.

Older kids may need an explanation as to why cleaning up is important. Explain to them how putting away their little puzzle pieces will help them find it easily the next time. Make sure you have enough large boxes, but don't forget smaller boxes

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