It’s that time of year again when you need to start thinking about spring cleaning. If you have kids then it might be time to get them involved in the spring clean. Below we will highlight some tips on how you can get your kids to spring clean with you and actually get them to want to help.
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Responsibilities
Children may not like chores but they do like feeling that they have responsibilities. Before you embark on your spring clean, make sure your children understand why you are doing it and how they all can help. It’s worth creating a checklist so that they can see their responsibilities and tick off their progress as they go along. Make sure you allocate tasks that your child is able to achieve according to their ability or their age i.e if they are of preschool or daycare age they won’t be able to do as much as a child who is of school-age etc.
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Small chunks
If you ask your child to clean their room, they will probably resist. It’s better to give them bite-sized tasks instead. For example, ask them to put all their books back on the bookshelf etc.
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Make it fun
It’s important to make sure that spring cleaning is fun as if your kids find it boring then it’s going to be a difficult road ahead. You could make your spring cleaning into a bit of a party by putting on some music to entertain you all. Perhaps let your kids take turns choosing the songs that they wish to hear.
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Work as a team
Children do not like to be left alone to tidy or clean, therefore it is worth concentrating on one room at a time and all working together rather than separately.
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Consider strengths
If you have a child that’s really good at organising then give them a task which involves organisation. If you have another child that likes to clean, then hand them a spray bottle and get them to clean any windows and surfaces. If you give your children tasks that they enjoy, then it’s more likely that your spring clean will be a headache-free success.
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Reward
An effective technique to get your kids into sprong cleaning would be to use a reward system. Examples of rewards could be:
- Letting your child have a play date or a sleepover.
- Having a garage sale and letting your children keep the money that they make.
- A day out at the movies, park or the zoo.
The Benefits of getting your kids to spring clean with you.
There are many positives of spring cleaning with your kids:
- Spring cleaning helps to build a family connection. Remember to make it fun by putting on some music and to sing and dance along to as you complete your chores.
- When spring cleaning, children learn about responsibility as they know that they are expected to be involved. This encourages children to be proactive and accept responsibilities.
- Spring cleaning together teaches children about teamwork. Remember to remind your child that the more hands that are involved, the quicker the jobs will get done.
