Those of you with tidy children, HOW have you achieved this?

[Troika]

For example, the expectation here is that they come in from school, put shoes in the shoe cupboard, hang bag and coat up on peg, take lunchbox to the kitchen and empty it.

The reality is that every day without fail shoes are kicked off and left in the middle of the floor, and coats, bags and lunchboxes are dumped on the floor. I have to tell them to do these same things every single day. They are in year 6 and year 4. Surely it should be second nature by now?

They are expected to put their dirty clothes in the washing basket. They just get left on the floor until I tell them to put them in the basket.

They are expected to hang their towel up after a shower. Not leave it on the floor. Every day "Hang your towel up please".

They leave their stuff littering everywhere. When told to put it away they often just move it to another room/surface and I have to repeat the request to put it away.

Are some people just innately messy or are my children particularly lazy and disrespectful?

I have in the past gone round with a bin bag to get everything they'd left lying around, but this had no effect. And I can't really throw out school shoes and lunchboxes etc.

HELP!

[LoveMyRs]

Why can't they do it without being asked.

Been wondering that myself. have same issue with dd 8yrs, although she was so tidy before starting school and she is super tidy at school, she just doesn't bother at home. and i have to tell her for every single thing.
If i say put your things away. She will look and put away the one thing the she see first then i have to say and your shoes and your bag and your coat ...

We are doing pennies in the jar at the moment so if she put away her shoes after i ask her she get X if she did before i ask she get double but i still have to remind her to go see the chart to check her after school routine .

Been only few days but i think its working.

[yeOldeTrout]

DC4 was born with a tidy gene, merely needed guidance. He compulsively tidies up after his older sibs, who have been nagged for 10 yrs +.

[Sammysquiz]

Do they get pocket money? Remove 50p everytime you have to remind them to pick their stuff up.

[Troika]

Thanks for all the hints and tips everyone. It seems there is no magic solution (dammit) and that my children are just resistant to guidance in the ways of being tidy! I was really hoping that someone would say 'well obviously I didn't just start them young and keep on telling them and not allow them to do anything else until it's done, I had to do xyz and then they got it'

Maybe dc3 will turn out to be more pliable as she gets older

[Notso]

I've got four and they are all totally different. DD 16 has got super tidy as she had grown up, where as DS1 12 has got much worse over the past year, I hope he grows out of it.
DS2 5 is dreadful and makes a major fuss about being asked to do anything but also will help under his own steam, DS3 4 is really tidy and just does it naturally but then DS1 did at that age too.

The only thing they all do without fail is put breakfast lunch and dinner dishes in the dishwasher.

[Bobochic]

A lot of tidiness is genetic, IMVHO. My DD (11) is very organized and tidy, though it has taken her a few years to get to "adult standard" order. I'm also pretty tidy, which supports her. My DSS2 is a bit of a chaotic nightmare and, tbh, he has never cared a jot about his surroundings or appearance and, at 19, has to be nagged to wash properly. He has always been like that.

[hotdiggedy]

Mine were actually really good when they were younger and also enjoyed helping out with tasks but the older they get, the worse they have become and I can't seem to fix it