Cleaning with kids can be fun and it can be taxing too. I have two children, one that is easy to please and very compliant, and another that fights me tooth and nail on just about everything. So I have tips on how to get children to clean, the easy child and the difficult one!
Sing the cleanup song together. The cleanup song or any other song you want to make up. Singing makes the work go by faster, makes them think of something other than the task, and encourages them to know they are doing a good job.
Make cleaning up a contest. You and your child can race each other to see who can get the most picked up the fastest. Not sure I would recommend this if you have two children; I don’t like pitting one child against another even in fun.
Be energetic about cleaning up. Again, give cleaning up the feeling of a game. Make it fun. Be a good example to your children, if they see Mommy or Daddy having a fun time doing the chores then they will want to help.
Have patience. Cleaning with kids is going to take twice as long as doing it yourself. My biggest weakness is not letting my daughter help me clean. I just want to get it done, but letting her help teaches her responsibility and makes her happy. Also, try to have patience when it’s not going well. I admit that I’m quick to start yelling. Yelling just makes things worse, I tell you that from experience.
Finally, the one sure fire thing I’ve been able to say to get my son to clean is, “If you do not pick that up right now it’s going in the trash.” “No Mommy, don’t throw it away”, he grabs it and hides it in the abyss known as his room. The house is a work in progress; I’ll get him to clean his room before he’s 18 I promise.
By guest blogger, Louise Bishop, MomStart
