Getting your kids to help clean up may sound impossible but there are ways to get your kids to help willingly.
Getting your kids to help with the cleaning not only lessens the burden on you but can teach them valuable life lessons.
Just remember, kids have their own way of doing things.
Factor this in when asking them to help clean up – and they’re more likely to do it willingly and without you nagging.
Make them responsible for a specific chore or room
Give each child a specific chore or space to clean that’s his or her responsibility.
This will help show how satisfying it can be to take care of a home.
It will also teach them to be proud of doing a good job.
Cleaning the house can seem like an insurmountable task to kids.
Let them choose an individual chore, such as:
- packing away the dishes
- cleaning the bath
- sweeping the floors
- vacuuming carpets or rugs.
Make packing away toys part of the game
From a young age, make the packing away stage part of the playing process.
This way, kids know before they even start playing that they must tidy up afterwards.
They won’t question it – or not as much as they might have.
Make packing away fun
With a little imagination, packing away can become a game.
Give toys cute little “houses” that are actually cubby holes, so the kids can “put their toys to bed” after playtime.
Store soft toys and balls in a big basket with a basketball hoop above it.
Turn tidying into a competition
You can get your kids to compete against each other or against other grownups.
The reward doesn’t have to be something that costs money.
It can be getting to skip chores the next day or choosing what’s for dinner.
For example, see who can put away the most toys in 60 seconds.
Try to structure the competition in a way that everyone gets a chance to win, otherwise it can be demoralising.
Use incentives or rewards
Use chores as a way for your kids to earn privileges or pocket money.
This incentivises them to do their chores properly and without complaint.
It will also teach them about earning money and how few things in life are free.
Privileges can be extra screen time or letting them have a sleepover.
If you give your kids an allowance, let them earn more by contributing to the household cleaning.
The more they do, the more they earn.
And lastly, be patient
These approaches, even the incentivised ones, will take time to establish.
Your kids might not react the way you expect them to.
If they’ve never been expected to clean up for themselves before, they might view it as a punishment.
Be consistent, take it slowly, communicate well at every step and don’t lose your patience.
Eventually, cleaning and tidying will be a natural part of your household routine.
Everyone will do their bit to keep the house clean and tidy.
How XtraSpace can help you declutter your home
It’s a lot easier to get kids to help clean up willingly – and with minimal nagging – if the house is not cluttered.
Some items in your home only get used occasionally, so they end up standing around collecting dust.
Declutter your home and put these items in storage until you need them.
At XtraSpace, we offer clean, secure self-storage units that are ideal for household items. Contact us for more information or browse to find a branch near you.