All you need to get your kids to tidy up their bedroom…

Gnome in garden via Shutterstock

We have something rather special, and original for you today…

A little while ago, my daughter and I made a tidy up gnome for her bedroom from Fimo. It was a simple idea; make a gnome that was happy in a tidy room. They’d stay there when it was tidy, and had a tendency to get a little distracted if it became too messy. *bit like mum*

It was really just a little bit of fun to help encourage my daughter to tidy up her room once in a while, but she seems to love her being there.

It got me thinking whether we could do a little printable around the idea, that would help to encourage our kids to keep their bedrooms tidy, so we have come up with the Tidy Gnome.

The principle is simple…

We have a garden with a gnome in. We have a slighty upset face, that you can stick to his happy face when the room is a bit untidy, and needs a little tidy up. There also lots of cute accessories for the wee gnome’s garden…..

• Wheelbarrow,
• Watering can,
• Trowel,
• Mushroom, and
• Five little flower bushes.

Click image to download your garden glory for your tidy gnome

It is really a rather boring place for him at the moment; and we would like your kids to fill it with lots and lots of exciting garden paraphernalia.

To help him tend his garden, we need the place he lives (your child’s room) to be tidy – as otherwise he just isn’t in the mood. He really has to have a tidy up before we can start filling his garden. Every time your child’s bedroom is looking good, you can give them a little more decoration in their gnome’s garden. Alternatively, they can do it. You can even write your child’s name at the top of the printable.

Depending on your views, you might also take something away if the room isn’t looking its best. However, we don’t tend to do that as we would like to try to keep our tidy up gnome positive and fun.

Click image to download your Gnome in his garden

This is a very basic incentive for your child to keep their little gnome happy. Perhaps you can give him a name so that your children feel a little more of a connection to them? We, of course, even make one out of Fimo and you would certainly be able to do this alongside your printable chart.

There may be other ways to get this to work for your kids of course; this is how we do it in the KiddyCharts household, but that doesn’t mean its the only way, of course. If you wanted, you might offer a reward for a completed and tidy garden; but beware of your children trashing the room just so it can be tidied up again *hint hint*

So there you are, one tidy up gnome, and one set of items for the gnome’s garden….

Oh and as always, here is a video to help you see how to use the wee gnome. As always we are over on Channel Mum too, so do check out their channel, as well as the KiddyCharts one too.

Whatever you do with this, do try and stick with the idea, as otherwise you might end up with a room that looks a little like my kids. Frankly, I stopped doing it because I was far too busy doing this blog, and this printable.

Kind of ironic really, don’t you think? ;-) *far from perfect*

Let us know how you get on with this printable; be great if we can hear how it all goes with the little tidy gnome. We think its a lovely idea, and it worked while we stuck with it! 

Helen

Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine! Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time. KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. Get in touch TODAY!

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