When a new school year begins, parents feel the need to help kids organize and clean their bedroom. It's hard to do homework or study in a messy room. But what do you do if your child's room looks like a disaster zone? Too often, parents tend to give up. Here are some strategies for how you and your child can work together to clean and organize his or her bedroom.

While some parents would be tempted to spend all day cleaning the room while their child is at school, then threaten the child when they get home, saying something like, "If you don't keep this room clean, Mommy will be very disappointed," instead, we suggest working together with your child, and teaching them cleaning, organization, and maintenance methods. Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out, recommends that you view your role as that of organizational consultant to your child. Learn what's working and what's not. And fix the problem areas.

When beginning to clean your child's room, determine why it is messy in the first place. Often, when you take a child's eye view, and analyze the room as if you were 3 feet tall, you may quickly spot problem areas. Are the toys scattered across the carpet because the toy bin is kept at a height that is difficult for your child to reach? Perhaps they have to jump up and pull the toys down, which can cause the box to spill? How high are the hangers in his or her closet? If they're too high, it might make sense to install a lower clothing rod that your child can reach. Then, perhaps, your child will hang up more of his or her clothes. You can also organize from the bottom up. Items that your child uses most frequently should be at the lowest point in the room, making it easy for him to access. Analyzing the bedroom from your child's perspective is a crucial first step in this process.

Often, a child's room gets messy because they have inadequate closet space. Kids often share a bedroom - and with the amount of toys and clothes that most kids have these days, small closets can fill up fast, leaving the child without any idea where he or she should store a certain toy. So instead it gets stored on the floor. If this is the case in your household, you may wish to invest in some plastic storage bins to store things such as out of season clothes. Does your child need to have all of his sweaters hung up in the closet in the middle of summer? You'll also find clothes that your child has outgrown. Donate them to charity, and free up valuable closet space.

Another idea for younger children is a toy library. This is a place to store excess toys. This can be in a large plastic bag or box. Store the container in a garage or attic. Every few months, allow your child to exchange his or her current toys for the toys in the "library." The stored toys will again be interesting and fun for your child, since she hasn't played with them for several months.

If two children share a bedroom, they may often fight about who has to clean and organize what. Often a shared room can be twice as messy because the brother expects the sister to put everything away, and vice versa. A fun way to get kids involved in the process is called "Fishing for Chores". You can use a pretend fishing rod with string and a paperclip at the end, or just have them draw the chores out of a bag. Remarkably, kids enjoy seeing which chore they get, as it changes from week to week. One week your child may vacuum. The next week, she may organize her socks. Make "Fishing for Chores" part of a weekly maintenance routine. When your child gets older, the chores will become second nature, and they'll begin to clean and organize on their own.

Parenting coach Barbara Desmarais suggests parents use specific “action” questions and directions. For example, instead of “Go clean your room,” say, “Do you want to pick up the stuffed animals or the train? The big things or the little things? The clothes or the books?” In essence, you're giving them a "false alternative." This creates a productive team between the parent and child, and breaks the cleaning into manageable tasks so that the child knows exactly where to start and how to get it done.

You might want to give your kids a 15 Minute Cleanup Chart. This is a fast way for them to keep their room clean and organized more frequently. It's less of a "chore" to kids, since it only takes 15 minutes. Here are some basic steps to follow for a 15 Minute Cleanup:

1) Put all dirty clothes in a hamper. This isn't the time to unfold socks or sort clothes. Just make sure everything that's dirty ends up in the hamper. (Time: 1 minute)

2) Put all trash in a trash can. If it's not trash, leave it where it is for now. (Time: 1 minute)

3) Make the bed. Or at the very least, smooth out the sheets and blankets, and straighten the pillows. (Time: 4 minutes)

4) Refold or rehang all of the clean clothes in the room. (Time: 3 minutes)

5) If an item doesn't belong in the bedroom, pick it up and place it in a box. Don't sort the items, just collect them in a box for now. (Time: 1 minute)

6) Take all toys from the floor and put them into a toybox. (Time: 1 minute)

7) Sweep or Vacuum the floor. (Time: 4 minutes)

Total time: 15 minutes

Finally, set a good example for your kids. You can't expect them to have a clean room when the rest of the house is a mess. Children mimic what their parents say and do. They'll also mimic their parents' cleaning and organization style. You can't expect their room to be cleaner than your kitchen, for example. Getting children to clean can be a frustrating process, but with some careful planning, achieving a clean bedroom and home can be made easier.