Nina the Newt Keeps Her Room Neat - A Children's Story

Nina the Newt Keeps Her Room Neat

By Bill Conley

Moral of the Story:

Keeping your room neat and tidy shows that you are responsible and respectful of your space. Every item has a home—so when you use it, be sure to put it back where it belongs. Hanging up clothes, putting dirty laundry in the hamper, and making your bed each day helps your room stay calm and peaceful. When you keep your room clean, you’re not just helping yourself; you’re helping your whole family too.

Nina the Newt lived in a bright, sunny room at the edge of Pebble Pond. Her room had a bookshelf made from driftwood, a bed made of moss and straw, and a laundry basket made from woven reeds.

Nina loved her room, but she wasn’t so great at keeping it clean.

When she tried on a shirt and didn’t want to wear it, she left it on the floor.
When she took out a puzzle, she forgot to put the pieces back.
When she kicked off her socks at night, they stayed under the bed for days.

Each morning, her mom would peek in and sigh, “Nina, this room looks like a nest of tornadoes!”

“I’ll clean it later,” Nina would say with a grin.

But “later” never came.

One day, Nina couldn’t find her favorite red scarf. She checked her chair, her desk, under her blanket—even under the bookshelf. Nothing.

“Where did it go?” she groaned.

Her mom peeked in. “When your room’s a mess, it’s hard to find anything.”

Nina frowned. “I guess you’re right.”

Together, they began tidying. Nina folded her clothes, hung up the ones she didn’t wear, and tossed the dirty ones into the laundry basket. She stacked her books, put puzzle pieces back in the box, and even made her bed, pulling the moss tight and fluffing the pillow.

And guess what?

She found her red scarf tucked under the corner of the bed, hidden beneath a pile of crumpled shirts.

“I found it!” she shouted.

Her mom smiled. “See what happens when everything has a place?”

Nina looked around her clean room. It felt bigger. Brighter. Happier.

That night, she promised herself, “No more mess mountain.”

So the next morning, she made her bed first thing. She folded her pajamas, placed her slippers by the door, and even straightened the reeds in her laundry basket.

At school, her teacher said, “Nina, you seem extra focused today!”

Nina nodded proudly. “It’s because I started my day in a clean room!”

After school, she invited her friend Lily the Ladybug to visit.

Lily’s eyes lit up. “Your room is so neat!”

“Thanks,” Nina said. “I’ve started putting everything back where it belongs. That way, it doesn’t pile up.”

That night, when she tried on two different scarves for story time and didn’t wear either, she didn’t throw them on the floor—she hung them both neatly on a hook.

And every night before bed, she took five minutes to tidy up her space.

Just five minutes made her room stay clean every single day.

Soon, other friends started asking for Nina’s secrets.

“It’s easy,” she said. “Just remember three things:

1.     Put things back.

2.     Put dirty clothes in the basket.

3.     Make your bed every morning.”

From that day on, Nina was known as the Neatest Newt in Pebble Pond.

Her room stayed peaceful, her mornings stayed calm, and her mom never had to say, “Clean up!” again.

Moral Poem to End the Story:

Make your bed, put clothes away,
Tidy up a little each day.
A clean room shows you care and try—
And lifts your heart and spirit high!

What is a Newt?
A newt is a tiny, gentle animal that looks like a little lizard. Newts can live in water and on land. They have smooth skin, short legs, and long tails. Nina the Newt is one of them!