Whether you have regular house cleaning services, or you only call in the professionals for a serious once-a-year clean, there will always be some tidying around the house. However, back-to-school cleaning can actually be an opportunity for parents.
Establishing a cleaning routine for your children builds discipline and life skills. It even builds confidence as kids feel that they are contributing to their family and are trusted with responsibility. That is all great stuff! Of course, you might encounter a little push-back. With that in mind, here are some tips to get your kids involved in back-to-school cleaning.
Set Realistic Expectations
Just as you might feel overwhelmed with cleaning after a long day of work, your child might feel daunted by chores. Setting clear, doable tasks for your child will make it easier to build enduring habits. Consider slowly introducing new responsibilities over the course of the school year. Also, ensure that the responsibilities you give your child match their capabilities, so you set them up for success and boost their confidence.
Discuss Why Cleaning Matters
Set expectations as part of a larger conversation. Explain that regular cleaning is one way that families take care of each other and that everyone shares in the responsibility. Also, it can be good to mention that a clean home is more hygienic and therefore an important way to keep happy and healthy.
More Privilege, More Responsibility
Older kids can handle more responsibility and can be rewarded with more autonomy. Going back to school and starting part time work means that they have more obligations outside the home. A little flexibility shows that you trust and respect them. Younger children may need some supervision, but kids can start helping out as young as three years old. If you can build habits early, then things will be much easier down the road.Involve Kids in Decluttering
Going back to school is a perfect time to declutter. Kids can be reluctant to let even their most neglected toys go, but you can win them around to the idea. Let them choose where you donate their old toys. Making this decision will give them the satisfaction of helping others in need.Avoid Using Cleaning as Punishment
Cleaning is a normal part of life. Using it as punishment teaches children that cleaning is a bad thing, rather than a way to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. In the long run it is more effective to reinforce good back to school cleaning habits.Make Cleaning Fun!
Why reward cleaning after the fact when you can make it a game? You can play music that your child enjoys as you clean together. Or you can start and stop the music for a game of freeze. Engage your child’s imagination by pretending they are an astronaut collecting samples from space. The possibilities are endless! The goal is to make tidying up a natural part of play time. This is even more important as you move into a back-to-school schedule and kids have less free time.