Cleaning the house doesn’t have to be such a chore. When you involve the whole family, it can be fun and entertaining. Spring brings warmer weather, and with it, a desire to purge, deep clean, de-clutter, and open up all the windows. After a long winter, the house can get pretty dirty and messy, and spring cleaning is the perfect time to tackle all of that.
Whether you have toddlers or preschool kids, you can tailor your spring cleaning chore list to fit the abilities of each age level. Here are some spring cleaning tips for families with young kids.
Make it a Competition
Who doesn’t love a good challenge? Kids especially like to be given a goal and told to work hard toward it. So set the clock and see who can pick up the most belongings and toys within the stated time limit. This will inspire and motivate them to get the job done quickly.
Post a List
Create a list and post it on the refrigerator outlining out all the tasks that must be completed that day or that week. After each task is finished, have each child print their name next to it, and the one who does the most tasks in the allotted time frame wins a small prize. For kids who can’t write their names, designate each child a unique sticker.
Make a Day of It
When tackled on our own, spring cleaning can easily take a week or even a week. But when you get the whole family involved, you can knock out the list of chores within a day with everyone’s input. This gets your spring cleaning done quickly, and ensures you don’t have to stretch out the chores for weeks on end.
Hold a Dance Party
Who doesn’t need to let loose once in a while? Come up with a playlist of upbeat songs everyone loves, and encourage everyone to dance around while dusting or mopping.
Take One Room at a Time
Trying to tackle the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen all in one day is stressful and overwhelming. Do one room a time so it’s easy for your kids to see the results of their diligent work.
Stay Organized
With small children, it’s not enough to say “clean your room” or “tidy up the playroom.” You have to be specific or else chaos will ensue. Be realistic, be age appropriate, spell things out one by one, and keep track of progress.
Offer Rewards
As an adult, you like to get rewarded at work for completing a set of tasks. It’s no different for a child. To keep them motivated, offer small rewards for their efforts, such as their favorite snack or a walk to the park.
Take Frequent Breaks
Because kids have a small attention span, you need to break up the chores into manageable chunks or they will get overwhelmed. If you try to do too much in a day, everyone can get irritated and grouchy real quick. So for instance, for every one hour you spend cleaning together, take a 10-minute break to go outside for some fresh air. This is an effective way to keep everyone’s spirits up.
Find Kid-Sized Cleaning Supplies
Kids can’t easily handle the full-size cleaning supplies you do. First off, give them tasks that are easy for them to do, such as using a feather duster around the house or tidying their bedroom. Find small brooms, rags, and other supplies that they can handle easily.
Start Them Young
Even the littlest members of your household can help with cleaning, but you have to start them early. From holding the dust pan while you going around sweeping, to holding open a trash bag as you add items, it’s more important just to get them involved. Starting them early will ensure that when they get older, they won’t find the concept of cleaning to be foreign.
Set Rules
As you clean, make a rule that everyone has to either toss or donate five items from each room. This not only involves them actively in the decluttering process, it gets them thinking about which items still bring them joy and which ones they can live without.
We hope these tips keep your whole family involved in spring cleaning, resulting in a sparkling – and happy – home.
Take a Tour of Country Home Learning Center Today
We invite you to take a tour of our facilities in San Antonio or Austin to see how we do things. Contact us today to schedule a tour today. From toddler rooms to preschool rooms, everyone pitches in to get things done in small ways.
