Spring cleaning is on the horizon, and you could use some help. It’s time to try a team approach to seasonal cleaning.
Many hands make light work … so how do you get the kids to pitch in when it’s time to spring-clean the house?
Try these five tips to involve children with housecleaning chores.
Think teamwork
It’s downright lonely to be sentenced to clean a bathroom on your own, but paired with a parent, even a 5-year-old can work safely and happily. While Dad wields the bowl cleaner and the tile brush, his helper can scrub the sink, polish the fixtures, empty the trash and trundle towels and rugs to the laundry room.
Working as a team involves kids in the cleaning process, helps them learn cleaning skills, and most important, models both the attitude and the job standard you’re trying to teach.
Take your voice out of the process
Children have an innate ability to “tune out” parents, when the subject is chores. What parent wants to spend a Saturday nagging, threatening and hollering, “You get back here and finish the vacuuming!”?
Instead, post a list of the day’s jobs, or write them out on index cards. Divvy the jobs up between the teams, or let each team choose one until the work is done. Putting the work on paper removes the tussle of wills.
