Start the Bed Making Habit

One thing I've always wanted my kids to do automatically is wake up each morning and make their beds. I learned from FlyLady a freshly made bed can make a huge difference in the appearance of a room and the sooner it's made, the better. But face it, in the morning rush getting the bed made is usually low on the list of priorities.
I know, I know...we're homeschoolers so sending the kids back upstairs to make their beds before starting work for the day shouldn't be a problem, but you'd be amazed how a simple task like going to make the bed can turn into a 20 minute ordeal, what with all those Legos and books around begging for attention. So it's a job that rarely gets done at our house, by the kids anyway.
Now that summer's here, I plan to change that. I've been priming Sport and Spice to wake up and make their beds as soon as they jump out of it. This has been especially exciting for Spice who just moved to a big girl bed this weekend. I've made a bit of a competition out of it to see who actually remembers to make their bed before coming down for breakfast. So far, Spice has been spot on each morning. Sport has needed a reminder here and there, but at least he hasn't. And at this point, if he gets lost in Legoland for an hour or two, who cares? Today we had friends come to play unexpectedly so I took the opportunity to point out how good they must have felt by having a neatly made bed ready and waiting.
My hope is by the time summer is over this bed making bit will have become a nicely formed habit and once we start back to school, making beds will be as natural as eating breakfast in the morning.
Hope this idea works for you. Head over to We Are That Family for more helpful hints and tips.