The smell of fresh spring air can be rejuvenating. The trees are beginning to bloom again and school is in its final stages of the year. With all those signs of the changing seasons, many of us feel an urge to clean our houses from top to bottom.
Spring cleaning, though, can feel like a momentum task when you have children. The mess can seem bigger and harder to tackle. In reality, though, your children can be great helpers to get your house cleaned.
The advantages of children learning how to clean are massive. One study found that children who completed regular household chores had a sense of mastery, self-reliance, and responsibility.(1) The children of this study started doing chores as early as 3 or 4 years old, and they saw lifelong benefits from it. Some of these benefits included good relationships with friends and family and success in academics and later in their careers.
It’s easy to know that your child should be doing chores, but how do you actually encourage them to complete cleaning tasks? Don’t worry, I’ve got some tips for you.
Consider What Tasks Are Age-Appropriate
It is important to consider your child’s capabilities when assigning cleaning tasks. Think about their fine and gross motor skills. Think about their cognitive skills and ability to remember and complete a certain number of tasks at one time.
Then, assign tasks that you know they are able to complete on their own or modify tasks so that they are easier to complete. An example of this could be sweeping the kitchen. You could make this task easier for your child to complete by purchasing a small broom that is easier to maneuver. You could also mark out a big square that they need to debris in instead of expecting them to sweep into a dustpan.
Explain the ‘Why’
Explaining why anything is being done is often very useful with children. They don’t always think through the reasons why they might be asked to do a task. When those reasons are explained to them, though, they will often understand and be more willing to participate.
Be careful with your language to make it clear that cleaning is not a punishment. Cleaning is simply something that everyone must do to keep the house functional. You can talk about germs, and how they make us sick but cleaning gets rid of them.
If you’re decluttering as a part of your spring cleaning, explain this as well. Discuss how more toys and clothes mean more cleaning that needs to happen. Talk about how other children could play with the toys that they no longer do. Consider letting them pick where their toys will be donated to. Discuss different charities and what they do. Or you can host a garage sale and let them keep the money they earn from selling their extra things.
Provide Clear Instructions and Expectations
For younger children, be clear with what tasks need to be completed, how those tasks should be done, and how they can know when the task is done. For example, the playroom needs to be picked up. Your child needs to put all the toys back where they belong. They will know the task is done when there are no more toys on the floor.
The level of explanation prevents you from having to send your child back over and over when you don’t think that the task is completed but they do.
Give opportunities for independence where it is appropriate. If possible, let your children have choices. One possibility would be giving them the list of tasks that need completed and letting them pick the order in which they want to complete them.
Break It Into Small Steps
Especially with younger children, you will likely not be able to give a long list of chores that your child will remember. Your child may not even be able to remember the multiple steps that go into a cleaning task. For example, you may explain how to sweep the kitchen and clean up the dirt pile. By the time they finish sweeping, though, they forget what they were supposed to use to clean up the dirt pile.
This is totally normal. Have patience and remember that you are teaching valuable skills that will take time for your child to master. Remind them of the next step in the process if they forget and provide help where necessary.
Clean With Them
Everything is more fun with a friend by your side!
Your child may find it easier to stay on task and enjoy that work that they’re doing if they get to do it with you. This also reinforces the idea that everyone is a team working together to keep the house clean and functional.
You can do this by both doing the same task, like you both vacuuming at the same time, or splitting a task in half so that you have your job and your child has their job. One task that you could do this with is you spraying water on the windows and your child wiping it off.
Make Cleaning Fun
The more fun cleaning feels, the more willing your child is going to be to participate.
Make the chores into a game. You can set a timer and encourage your child to race to finish before the timer goes off; this will work better with shorter tasks. Or you can both pretend to be a detective looking for something, like expired spices in the cabinet or all the lego pieces in the playroom.
Maintain Cleaning Routines Year-Round
Involving your children in cleaning tasks should not be something that happens just once a year. Consistency will help your child hone their cleaning skills and keep your household functioning well.
Some families find it easier to have daily tasks assigned to a certain person that are completed whenever they have time. Other families spend a big chunk of time cleaning together as one unit. Whichever way works best for your family is fine. Maybe you even devise a mixture of both strategies.
Cleaning skills will serve your child for the rest of their life. Starting early sets them up for success.
Subscribe to my newsletter for all the latest updates on my blogs and podcasts!
References