You find dirty dishes piling up next to an empty dishwasher, and toys are littered across the floor like a minefield. Sound familiar? Our children have a talent for crafting messes like no other, that’s what kids do right? What if I told you that my kids clean up after themselves and help keep the house clean too? It’s true, and they only have one job each. So how is it done? It’s a lot easier than you would think.
Don’t Make Cleaning Their Chore
I don’t really like the word chore, I envision children slaving about the home for hours with cleaning rags and mops. In fact, my kids only have one “job” each. So when do they clean? A little here and there.
When we give our children large and daunting tasks to start, they’re less likely to want to complete them or do them well at all. When they fail, those tasks become negative ones to them and they are going to let you know it’s their new enemy. Set them up to succeed with smaller tasks and praise, praise, praise them for those little tasks! A little here and a little there adds up to a lot of help from your little ones. Then, one day, they’ll be ready for bigger jobs and more responsibilities.
Team Work Hardly Seems Like Work
You wash, I’ll dry! Let’s pick up these toys, I’ll get the legos, you get the playdoh! I’ll get the living room done before we go, can you pick up your room or would you rather do the hallway? Heck, split up lunch and dinner cleanup.
Get the gist?
Of course, we already have to clean, but it’s more enjoyable to our kids when they’re included and spending time with us. The same goes for us, we don’t want to be alone in this cleaning thing. Children go with the flow when you make it a positive experience, say it with a smile! The next time the house needs to be cleaned, delegate the tasks and work together to get them done.
Nice Mess Kid, Have Fun Cleaning It
It sounds awful, and it is to them, but sometimes we have to learn from our experiences. We could hoot and holler all day long when they graffiti the walls or paint the counters with who knows what, but do they really understand what they just did? Some messes are REALLY hard to clean! Let them try. When I was sick of cleaning my daughter’s constant soapy mirror art, I handed her a wet cloth and said, “Have at it chica, clean it up!” She shed some tears but quickly learned that the soap just kept on sudsing. That it was hard to clean. Guess what happened? Yep, she never did it again.
If Only They Cleaned Up As They Went
Oh yay, dried cereal on the bowls. It would have been easier if they just rinsed the dish off… what do we do? Build better habits, that’s all. Strap in because those take us a little time. 66 times to build a habit to be exact. Remember potty training? We had to stop and rush to the task at hand, again and again, to help them learn. The same goes for building better cleaning habits. Give gentle reminders, but don’t nag or they’ll dread helping.
Try, “I would love if you could rinse off your dish, please and thank you!” Avoid, “You’d better wash that off!”
Think of working with them, not against them. It sounds silly, and sometimes frustration gets the better of us when we want to just scream, “Oh my gosh please just wash the friggin dish, for the last time!” Bite that lip and remember, 66 Momma, 66 times giving them gentle reminders or working together to build better cleaning habits. You’ve got this!
Throw It All Away
Do your children really need that many stuffed animals? Do they have too many toys for them to possibly keep their rooms clean on their own? Now is a great time to teach them the rewarding feeling that donating brings us. Do yourself a favor and shed the excess items so that tidying up is actually easy for them. If they really don’t play with it or use it, take it to Goodwill and be done with it.
Then go through their rooms together, make sure every item or toy has a place. Teach them how to organize so they can successfully do it on their own.
Make it a habit to go through their rooms together every time the seasons change, as they get older, they’ll do it on their own.
Get It Done Before We Go
One of the best ways to keep the house clean with our children is to tidy up before we leave the house. As parents, we are always on the go, to the grocery store, to their sports and activities, make it a priority to leave the house clean. The best motivation is when the kids want to go somewhere, but their messes stand between them and their fun.
Yes, this means that sometimes we don’t get to go.
One day my children were begging to go to the local library, but the house was a wreck. Cleanliness is important to us. My children watched me clean and scrub and scour the house while they watched television, the clock ticked by, then the library closed. That’s life, important things have to come before fun. If we make our priorities theirs as well, they will join in to complete them. We don’t have to make it a miserable task, because like I said before, teamwork hardly seems like work.
Let your children know which tasks have to be done before leaving for fun. This also sets the example for them that messes cannot wait, if you leave it then they will too. Remember; they learn from watching.
Take Away
Teaching our children to help clean up, and keep the home clean, is a very doable task. Start with small tasks and make them positive experiences! Giving them praise for their hard work, then build up to bigger jobs. Team up or split tasks to get work done while spending a little time together. Stay consistent and positive, and before you know it, they’ll be helping out on their own without even asking them to.
What do you think about chores for kids, and keeping the home clean? What are some tasks you ask of your kids? Which of these tips are your favorites? I love to hear from you! Comment below or message me directly!
Happy Cleaning,
Chelsey