Encouraging Clean Cohabitation

When one child wants to stay tidy and the other makes a mess, creating a "clean consensus" can be difficult in shared spaces. "Good clean use of space will always help limit conflicts," Barkley says. "The more things that are strewn around, the more chaos there will be."

Barkley says parents can address this conflict by making it as simple as possible to keep the room clutter-free. Creating a place for everything will help children learn to keep everything in its place. "Have lots of small- and medium-size storage baskets and bins," she says, which will make putting away toys and other items easier and less stressful for busy-bee kids.