August 1, 2007 | Kids clean

No - not the Army - your kids! From a very early age your kids can learn to participate in the upkeep of the home. And it’s good for everyone involved. You get a bit of a break, and your kids learn to be contributing members of the family. If you bring your children up to believe that cleaning up is fun they’re much more likely to view it positively as they grow older, as opposed to a chore. Here are some ways to enlist your kids from an early age:

12 months +

• Put toys into a container (randomly - don’t expect organizing skills)

18 months +

• Put their own dirty clothes where they belong (shoes in a specific place, clothes in the laundry bin)
• Take things to the trash - if the trash can is accessible
• Help you transfer clothes from a laundry basket to a front-load washer, or remove clothes from the dryer into a laundry basket
• Use a baby wipe to ‘clean up’ a mess they made (you’ll probably need to redo it later though - but the lesson is important for them)

2 years+

• Help set the table (with kids’ plastic utensils and plates, and napkins for everyone)
• Simple sorting tasks with laundry or toy cleanup (Put all daddy’s clothes in this basket; or put all the trucks in the blue toy bin)
• Help you make their bed, if it’s close to the ground. Do this with them every morning when they get up, and soon they’ll be doing it on their own

3 years+

• Help sort clean laundry for folding (find all the socks, put them in pairs)
• Clear dishes from the table (specifically if they’re plastic)
• Help clean a vertical surface (wipe down cabinet fronts or dust the legs & sides of furniture
• Help use the hose function of the vacuum to clean in corners & small spaces (if they’re not bothered by the noise of the vacuum)

4 years+

• Stand on a stool and rinse dishes mom or dad has cleaned
• Hold a dustpan for you
• Help pull weeds in the yard (show them exactly what to pull)
• Swiffer a floor after you sweep

5 years+

• Help load the dishwasher
• Sort laundry into lights and darks

Remember, they’re more likely to stick with it if you’re with them. Cleaning up together is much more fun than doing it alone. And I’d leave tasks involving lots of germs (like swishing the toilet or cleaning the bathroom floor) until you’re certain they can manage the hygiene of it, and that comes at a different point for different kids.

Kids who share in the responsibilities of the home have higher self-esteem because they know their contribution is important and appreciated. They have a greater sense of responsibility, and a higher level of respect for mom and dad (because they know how hard it is to keep a whole house clean).

I’d hold off on using cleaning tasks (not chores - we don’t use that word in our house) as discipline until kids are much older and already understand the importance of their contribution. And even then their regular tasks aren’t discipline - they’d be saddled with extra tasks that mom and dad usually do (like cleaning the grout).

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, go over to Shannon’s place at Rocks in My Dryer.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

The URI to TrackBack this entry is:
http://broomhuggers.com/2007/08/01/wfmw-parenting-edition-enlist-the-troops/trackback/

1. Jennifer, Snapshot says:

   
   

   Good advice.

   August 1st, 2007 at 7:42 am

2. Megan (FriedOkra) says:

   
   

   I love that advice… I have a very industrious 2 1/2 year old who so far really loves helping me. I hope it stays that way. You had some great ideas for things she isn’t doing yet that she certainly could and would even enjoy, so thanks!

   August 1st, 2007 at 7:52 am

3. Andi says:

   
   

   Hi- I really like your site. I just linked you to mine. You have some great info on here. I totally agree with this post! My 2 year old loves to “help” me. If he’s throwing one of his many tantrums I just ask him to help me with something & that usually ends it.

   August 1st, 2007 at 9:48 am

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website