Life is packed full of things to do and sometimes you just need a little help because if you do all the cleaning for your kids, not only will you burn yourself out, they won’t learn responsibility. So this article is all about getting your kids to pitch in an help pick up after themselves. I am happy to have Jenny from Mom Loves Best share with us her powerful tricks to get your kids to clean up and love it. Jenny is just another mom trying to do her best and on her site she enjoys giving actionable parenting advice and buyers guides.
Get Your Kids To Clean Up And Love It
On the weekend, my husband and I usually plan a dinner night for after we’ve put the little ones to bed. I had just lit the candles to set the mood when I heard a loud crashing coming from the hallway. Like a character out of a cartoon show, my husband had tripped over one of my son’s toys and sent two plates of Lasagna flying.
With spring cleaning season just around the corner (and my carpet in ruins), I decided to kick the new year into gear by getting my kids to clean up after themselves, and actually enjoy it. These are some of my favorite tips and tricks that you can use for a cleaner, safer and more organized home.
9 Powerful Tricks To Get Your Kids To Clean Up:
Kick it up a notch with a race around the clock
There is nothing worse than dealing with a kid who is dragging their feet through the clean up process. Make this a non-issue by setting a timer and challenge your child to beat the clock. For some reason, kids love having a deadline, and you will enjoy watching them scramble to get all of their toys put away before the alarm goes off.
Give your kid pint-sized cleaning supplies
Children seem to love mimicking grown up behavior, yet dealing with large brooms and baskets is frustrating for tiny hands. Give your child a little carpet sweeper and tell them they can use it once their toys are put away. Alternatively, a small laundry basket works wonders for carrying toys from room to room. Feeling like they have the right tools gives kids confidence as they clean up their toys.
Dress for success
Role-playing is an excellent way to add a touch of fun to a mundane activity. Let your little princess dress up as Cinderella as she cleans up her toys. Or, your kid can grab a toy dump truck and play the part of a construction worker as they scoop up their blocks. Magicians, housekeepers, and teachers are a few more ideas for dressing up to make clean up time exciting.
Organization isn’t just for adults
It is important for your kid’s toy organization system to make sense. Otherwise, they end up like mine and throwing everything into the cupboard, or under the bed. Add pictures to bin and shelf labels or as a bonus, include photos of them playing with a particular toy. As they clean, they will be reminded of how much fun they can have by keeping their toys organized.
Make clean up time Mission Possible
It is a natural instinct for kids to want to accomplish a mission so turn your clean up session into a series of challenges. Ask your child to pick up three blue toys or challenge them only to pick up what they can on one foot. To keep it interesting, mix hard challenges with silly ones so that your kid can giggle their way through the missions.
When cleaning up is a game, everybody wins
Are you wondering how to make cleaning your room fun for kids? Cleaning Games may be just the ticket! Freeze Tag and Red Light Green Light aren’t just games for outside. You can also use these games to get your kids to clean up and have fun at the same time. Turn on some music and have them freeze when it stops while they clean up, or shout out “green” when it is time to clean up and “red” for a short break. Hippo has 15 cleaning games your kids are sure to love, plus free printables like the one below.
Make it a team effort with a relay race
Encourage a little family teamwork by having your kids work on a series of tasks together. For example, your littlest one can pick up toys and place them in a basket for your oldest to carry upstairs and put away. Handing off tasks makes everyone feel as though they are all little helpers in your house.
Keeping them interested by generating a little suspense
Kids often falter when they don’t know what to do next. Keep your clean up session exciting by writing down tasks on colored strips of paper. When your kid finishes one part of their cleaning, have them draw a piece of paper to find out what is next on their to-do list.
Bury a few hidden treasures to reward their hard work
Show your kids that you are full of surprises by making their clean up efforts worth the extra work. Hide small amounts of change or a tasty treat around the room that they are cleaning. But make sure they are only revealed as more toys are picked up, and anything which gets picked up must be put away. Your kids will become cleaning machines as they search every nook for your hidden rewards.
Conclusion
You may already know that cleaning can be fun, but your kids will need a little extra nudge to discover the joys of picking up. By keeping these nine tricks in your pocket, you will always have that something extra up your sleeve to keep your kids motivated for avoiding those toy-related casualties! Which game or idea do you think you will try first to get your kids to clean up?
When they are done cleaning up they may even feel so proud they may enjoy making kids door signs to label their rooms!
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Jasmine says
Thanks for sharing this tips.
What do you think about offering incentives or reward for every clean up effort? Do you think it’s a bad idea to use this method to get them to cooperate?
Jenny says
You’re welcome Jasmine!
I think it’s tough to give a definite answer to your question. I don’t believe it’s a bad idea, but having your kids rely on rewards to complete a task that will stick with them for a lifetime (such as cleaning) could become a problem later in life when for example the reward is no longer there.
In my opinion, I would first try and motivate kids with the reward of the cleaning process itself, or the fun they can have while doing it. If none of that works, then I would use the reward/incentive system as a backup as its certainly better than no cleaning at all 🙂
Hope it works out for you!
Best regards,
Jenny
Maria says
These are great ideas, I find it so hard to teach my kids cleaning their rooms. I’m glad I found your blog. thanks to you. 🙂
Jenny says
I’m glad you found Scarlet’s blog too! It’s full of so much valuable information! 🙂
Andreia Cabanas says
Thank you for the tips!
I have a smalll small nephew with 1year that seems to like organization a lot! X) In the future, if I can show her clean up as a game with those tips, will be wonderful! How much do you think is important the children to help in home tasks?
Jenny says
Wow, 1 year and showing signs of organization. You’re going to have a lean, mean, cleaning machine on your hands 🙂 I think at least some participation is essential in developing their understanding that contributing and helping others is a worthwhile cause. But forcefully making them do so may not always be the best option, as it could have the opposite effect.