Saturday mornings in many homes across the globe are reserved for cleaning the home. Parents, you do not have to go at it alone.
If you teach your children how to do chores and expect them to do them, you’ll not only get help cleaning but will be instilling lifelong positive habits they can benefit from forever.
Take a moment to check the 7 tips for having your kids clean their own room. These are quite simple and fun, so pick a few to test as soon as possible.
- Show them how to do it
Set expectations for toddlers and show them how to do the task you want them to do.
Don’t just explain it, show them the toy box and how to put the toys away. Show them where the coloring books should be and how to put all the crayons back.
The same goes for older kids. If you don’t like how they vacuumed the floor, consider stepping in and showing them the proper way of doing it.
- Lead by example
Kids are copycats, and they tend to absorb things like sponges. They repeat our words and actions, whether the good or the bad ones. For this reason, it’s important to be a good example in every way, included when it comes to cleaning.
Trying to explain to your child the importance of making the bed won’t go that well if you don’t make your bed when you wake up. You may think it doesn’t matter, but it does. And, it’s a matter of time before your child figures this out and calls you out on it.
Be a good example.
- Let them have their space
If your child already has a room, you might want to cut them some slack on how the room should look. Surely, it shouldn’t be messy, but let them have some say in it.
Kids that have their room are more likely to want to keep it tidy. Let them have this space and arrange it in any way they want.
You can decide how to do this. Will you let your child pick the color of the walls or not is up to you, but let him/her have some say in how the room looks.
They can maybe pick the furniture or the way how things will be organized. Once it feels like that space is theirs, they will most likely care for it better.
- Set some rules
This is the time when you should be a bit strict. Set some rules and stick to them. These rules can be about anything you see fit from making the bed to putting away the toys.
For example, tell your child that he/she cannot watch the TV until all the toys are back in place. It might take some time and effort to accomplish the result, but if you’re strict, your child will see that there’s no other way about this.
Keep in mind that your kid might want to test how serious you are about the new rules. It might seem easier to just make the bed by yourself instead of trying to get your kid to do it. Stick to your guns and avoid the temptation.
- Make it fun
Let’s face it! Few people enjoy cleaning up. Make it a fun endeavor. Just like how you might play music to get through a pile of laundry, you should also consider turning this into a game for your child.
There are several ways in which you can do this. Some parents like to set up an alarm, so the kids race to finish before it rings. Some kids love competing against each other on who can pick up more toys.
Also, consider playing some music for them, so that they can dance or sing while doing this. It’s going to make a tedious job appear less daunting.
- Praise or reward them
This seems like the simplest way of getting kids to clean. If you tell a child that they can play a video game after they vacuum, he/she will likely vacuum the whole place without objection.
However, you want to take it easy on rewarding. You’re trying to teach good habits, so it might not be the best idea to offer a reward each time they do something. It’s because they won’t get awards for making the bed in the future.
Nonetheless, you should at least praise them for the good job they did. It’s so easy to yell when a child disobeys, but we so often forget to tell them how proud we are when they do something good.
A lot of times, children want approval so if you tell your child you are proud of the job they’ve done, they may be more likely to do it on their own.
7. Be realistic
Kids should start helping as soon as possible because it’s important to implement those good habits at an early age. However, you don’t want to be too harsh and demanding either, so make sure that your expectations are realistic.
If you want your kid to make the bed, be prepared that he/she maybe won’t do such a great job. Nonetheless, it’s important that they try.
Also, you can’t expect a child to drag your heavy-duty vacuum all the way to their room to vacuum the floor.
If you want them to clean the floors, you should maybe invest in a vacuum that they can use. Luckily, CleanThatFloor reviewed several lightweight vacuums that your kid could use.
But still, is your child big enough to vacuum? Again, set your expectations according to your kid’s age and abilities. And, don’t forget to praise them for the good job they did.
Good luck parents!