Hello and welcome back to Emily’s Maids blog! Today we wanted to talk about a topic that we hear all the time: how to get children involved in cleaning and organizing.
Creating a schedule to involve kids in cleaning has many benefits. You will teach them responsibility, family values and how to keep after themselves.
In this article, we will give you our best tips to motivate your kids into helping you with cleaning and organizing.
Before we get started, remember to check Emily’s Maids of Dallas if you need a cleaning service in the Dallas/Fort-Worth area.
Now, without further ado, let’s get right into it!
The Benefits of Getting Children Involved in Cleaning and Organizing
We have talked in the past about children involved in cleaning and organizing. There are many benefits for both the kids and the responsible adults that are raising them.
According to research, if you assign them cleaning tasks, they will increase their self-steem, discipline and responsibility.
Besides, you are helping yourself and the other adults at home, too! The kids will grow up to be proactive and independent. You won’t feel like you are the only one responsible for taking care of your home.
At the end of the day, the best possible outcome is having your kids actually wanting to help you and feeling good after doing so.
Determine the Cleaning Tasks:
First things first, what is going to be cleaned in the first place?
For obvious reasons, a list of cleaning tasks for kids is going to be slightly different than a regular one.
We have created many cleaning checklists in the past. You can find them in our blog and include your children in these activities.
Find the tasks that make more sense to you and to your children’s needs.
Related: Cleaning and Organizing Your Household: An Easy Guide
Assign Tasks to Each Child:
Once you have your list of cleaning, tasks, assign each task to a child based on their age and abilities.
These tasks need to be age-appropriate and as directly related to them as possible. As they grow older, you can give them tasks that are beneficial for the whole family or for other family members.
If they are too young, you may need to simplify some tasks or assign them a smaller role with one or two tasks.
The most important step is to change their goals and tasks as they grow older and give them more independence and responsibility, without being overbearing. They are still kids at the end of the day.
The tasks that you don’t find appropriate for any of your kids should be in charge of an adult.
Kids get motivated if they see they parents, their loved ones or their siblings doing the same activity. Besides making it fun, they do not want to feel left out!
Create a Schedule to Get Children Involved in Cleaning and Organizing
Once you have your entire set of tasks and they are assigned to your kids, it’s time to incorporate them into a schedule.
The trick to creating a good checklist is to make it your own. Every household is different, and every family has different dynamics.
A regular schedule for cleaning is usually the best route to take. You can choose a weekly schedule or cleaning every day after dinner. As long as it’s realistic and not too tiresome, it will work.
In some cases, you will have to use different schedules. For example, if your kids have different school hours, extracurricular activities or hobbies.
Besides, some kids are early birds and some are night owls. You can talk to them and find out what time is best for them to finish their tasks.
Make It Fun!
The most important step here is to place yourself in your kid’s shoes. Kids see many parts of our life as a game, especially when they are really young.
That is why many activities in school are created in a way that is fun and entertaining. The goal is for them to learn and have fun at the same time!
Cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore. Even if you are an adult, you can enjoy your cleaning tasks! Make it fun by playing music or setting a timer for a cleaning challenge.
Children will be more involved in cleaning and organizing if they see adults enjoying what they are doing.
You can also add a few awards or make it into a fun competition. You can split it into teams and see who does a better job and also listen to them if they have any fun ideas or suggestions.
Stick to the Schedule:
Once you have created the schedule, make sure you and your children stick to it. Consistency is key and you don’t want to create a schedule that is too overbearing or unrealistic.
You can always adjust your tasks to be more reasonable and achievable.
Remember, it’s more about teaching them responsibility and good habits and not so much about finding the perfect cleaners.
Celebrate progress and accomplishments! If they stick to the schedule X consecutive times, they get a reward.
Related: The Best Cleaning Supplies for Spring Cleaning
Provide feedback:
After each cleaning session, provide feedback to your kids on how they did.
Kids get motivated if they see they parents, their loved ones or their siblings doing the same activity. Besides making it fun, they do not want to feel left out!
If you want it to make this sustainable in the long term, it’s important to receive feedback from them as well.
Remember, this doesn’t have to feel like a ‘chore’. It just another part of their lifes that they need to incorporate into their routines.
Conclusion
There you go! These tips will help you to get your children involved in cleaning and organizing.
Getting them involved in household chores from a young age will make them more responsible, and definitely happier adults.
The younger you are, the easier it is to absorb concepts and incorporate them into your routine and your life.
As always, check Emily’s Maids of Dallas’ blog for more articles.
We’ll be back soon with more cleaning articles!