21Nov2019
How to Teach Your Kids to Keep The House Clean?
It is a common myth that kids and cleanliness don’t go hand in hand. When in reality, parents don’t prioritise cleaning in the eyes of children. Parents assume their kids are too young or don’t have the patience to clean.
However, according to experts from reputed end of cleaning companies in Townsville, teaching kids to keep the house clean should start as early as possible. Kids can be creatures of habit with the right training and guidance.
You can motivate your children to pick up their toys, maintain their rooms, keep things where they took them from, and learn a general sense of personal hygiene. Cleaning is a skill similar to reading, writing, walking, and talking. Children learn skills through imitation, instruction, and encouragement.
Therefore, learning to keep things tidy is a skill your kid can learn quickly. All you have to do is to guide, motivate, and reward them correctly. Also, knowing when to teach your kid to do which task will help tremendously. Here is a list of things you can teach your kids according to age. This list was prepared after consulting numerous end of lease cleaning companies and renowned bond cleaners in Townsville.
2-4 years
‘When your child reaches the age of two years, they can be taught sorting and putting things back at the designated place’, says Ronda Jones, an experienced bond cleaner from Townsville. It can be a game for them, which can turn into a habit as they grow older. Kids between the ages of 2 – 4 can sort out different looking items and put them at the right place.5-6 years
Kids at this stage are older and wiser. They are capable of handling food, and you can teach them how to scrape their plate and rinse them to put in a dishwasher. They can also be taught how to stack their clothes properly.7-10 years
Teddy Cooper, a retired bond cleaner in Townsville, father of 7 and grandfather of 10, says ‘You will notice your child is more responsible during these years. They can help you dry off dishes, load & unload the dishwasher and washing machine, pick up clothes, books, and toys, and put things at the right place. At this stage, you can teach your child to make his/her bed when they wake up. Older kids can learn to sweep and mop without supervision’.Delegating Individual Responsibilities
Most Townsville bond cleaners echoed the same sentiment that while teaching your kids the skill of cleaning, you must keep in mind each kid is different and learns at his/her own pace. Try to give individual responsibilities that will benefit the kids and teach them the value of cleaning and importance of a clean room. You can show them how you wash your dishes or how you put away your shoes in the mudroom to keep the house clean. Similarly, you can demonstrate how you keep the book you were reading in the rack, and they must do the same with their toys and books.Motivate Kids To Clean
To help kids feel motivated to clean, here are some tips by Molly Turner and Daniel Cook (both are cleaning experts working with reputed end of lease cleaning companies in Townsville).- Make cleaning a fun 10-15 minute activity with music. Let be a time your family gets together, and everyone cleans.
- Make a timetable for older kids so that they know which tasks are delegated to them and what are the deadlines.
- Always be supportive and encourage your kids when they clean. Answer their questions and tell them picking after yourself is a good habit.
- Set a reward system. Whenever your kids complete a cleaning task, they can have rewards. It can be extra 10 minutes of playtime, an extended 5 minutes TV time or something else.
- Set a routine that you follow every day. Kids can benefit a lot by having a cleaning routine, and with time they will start expecting it.
- Besides giving them rewards, teach them about the consequences of not cleaning. You can start by making them go to bed 5 minutes early for each task they don’t do. This way, they will learn that cleaning is not optional.
