How To Get Your Kids Involved In Housecleaning
Many hands may make for lighter work, but still, it’s tempting to clean up after children either because you’re sick of nagging them or you want the job done properly.
But by cleaning up their messes, you’re actually doing them a disservice.
Housecleaning is a skill they’ll need when they’re out on their own. If they don’t learn how to do household chores as a kid, how can you expect them to keep their homes clean as adults?
Not only does it give them an important life skill, teaching children how to clean gives them a sense of responsibility and self-reliance.
Let’s take a look at six pieces of advice for getting your child involved in doing household chores.
#1 Toddlers Love To Help
Obviously, three and four-year-olds don’t have the attention span or ability to clean up on their own.
But remember, they love to help, whatever the activity. And teaching your child to clean up from as young an age as three sets them up for success later in life.
Swishing and swiping low furniture with a dust rag can be a delightful task for your toddler. And what child doesn’t want to push buttons? They’ll love pushing the buttons on your washing machine.
#2 Don’t Associate Cleaning With Punishment
Raise your hand if your parents made you do the dishes or clean the toilets when you misbehaved.
This sets up an association between cleaning and punishment. If cleaning is a punishment, how likely is your child to grow into an adult that doesn’t dread house cleaning?
Remember, we’re not just raising kids, we’re raising future adults. Resist the urge to punish them with chores.
#3 Reframe Housecleaning As A Useful And Productive Act
You can get a lot of mileage out of reframing housecleaning as a positive act. Show your children why it’s important to have a consistent house cleaning schedule.
Help them understand that not only can a clean house create a sense of self-sufficiency, it’s important for hygienic reasons. And explain how housecleaning can be a way to reduce stress by creating a restful and restorative environment.
#4 Don’t Overwhelm Them
Even adults can get demoralized looking at a pile of laundry the size of Mount Washmore. That’s why it’s important to break up big housecleaning tasks into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Ask them to clean up only items that fit into a certain box. Or ask them to pick up only toys that are red or blue.
Breaking up large tasks into smaller ones to get a big job done is a life skill that will follow them well into adulthood.
#5 Keep Housecleaning Tasks Age-Appropriate
This may be an obvious one, but it’s important. For example, your toddler may enjoy learning how to sort, while your older children learn how to run the washer and dryer.
By 7 or 8, kids can learn how to use a broom to sweep up. Don’t be discouraged when, initially, they seem only to push dirt from one section of the floor to another. Have patience. Over time, they’ll get the hang of it.
Your five and six year old may not be able to load the dishwasher, but she can learn how to scrape and rinse a plate, and how to dry clean dishes.
She can also learn to do simple things like put her shoes away, hang her towel in the bathroom and help clear the dinner table.
It's a good idea to inspect what you expect when tasking older children with an independent job. Kids can’t learn from their mistakes if they don’t know they’re making them.
Finally, be sure to set clear expectations before they start the task so they know what the task requires.
#6 Model Good Habits
It’s no secret that kids learn more from our behavior than our words. That’s why it’s so important to model what you want them to get the hang of.
Allow them to see you decluttering the kitchen cabinets, and let them in on your thought process.
Model how to assess a mess, prioritize, and come up with a plan with specific steps to clean it up.
Let them see you having fun washing the car or dusting. Set an example by making your bed each morning.
And it’s important to model a cheerful attitude about doing chores rather than complaining and muttering under your breath.
Show, don’t just tell, how to keep a clean and uncluttered house.
Getting Extra Help
Even when you’ve got your kids on board with housecleaning, at Custom Maid we know that sometimes life gets in the way of a clean, tidy home.
Why not give us a call today to find out how we can provide a quality cleaning service tailored to fit your needs?