How To Get The Kids To Help Around More

How to get the kids to help around more? I wish I knew the secret…

As a mom of five kids, I always wanted to know how I could involve them in the household duties. I must admit I’m not very successful in this field. It’s particularly difficult with my sons, they don’t really care about tidiness… fortunately I have a daughter too. She helps me if she wants, but at least she does. This is why I am so glad to introduce you Anna Aamone – writer and a small cleaning business owner – who gives very useful tips how to get the kids to help around more.

Involving the kids in the household duties can be a real challenge, especially if they are not used to manage with such tasks. There have been many discussions about how much should they help at home, however, everything remains strongly individual. Some parents prefer to teach their kids of the basic duties from an early age while others do not count on the children for providing of the household tasks at home.

It is true that around the busy working schedule parents often feel too tired to take up with cleaning, vacuuming, washing of the dishes and with other time consuming activities. However, if someone gives you a helping hand, things will definitely become much easier and the house will look bright and shiny. Encouraging children to be more enthusiastic about helping around is difficult but not impossible task. As long as you choose the right approach, you will be able to motivate  them to help you a bit more and even to find pleasure in cleaning.

Here are some basic tips that will encourage the kids to join you when time for cleaning comes.

Introduce The Cleaning Tasks As a Game

As children adore games, you won’t meet difficulties in involving them in the regular cleaning, if you introduce it as an extraordinary game. Distribute the tasks equally and explain that who finishes with the cleaning first, wins the competition. Put some basic rules and, of course, a suitable name of the game and kindly invite the kids to take part in it. Even if they hesitate at first, give them some time to realize that this game resembles a lot their own competitions and leave them to manage with the tasks in their own way.

Be a Good Role Model

It is more than clear, than in case you are not a good example of how the cleaning tasks are provided, you cannot expect from the kids to demonstrate willingness when time for cleaning comes. Children have the habit to observe every step of their parents and I assure you that if you are reluctant to manage with the cleaning duties at home, your kids will find an appropriate occasion to remind you that. Especially if you are constantly murmuring that they do not help you enough at home. Involving the children in the household duties means that you need to be a team and to demonstrate them that there is nothing difficult in washing the dishes or in removing of the dust.

Discuss The Importance of Helping Each Other

Instead of playing the role of the rigid parent who is constantly mad at their children because they have failed to manage with the given tasks, you had better try another approach. Discuss with them how important it is to help each other, especially when the parents are too preoccupied around their busy working schedule. They need to understand that they can also contribute for the sparkling look of the rooms and to share this responsibility with their parents.

These are some fresh ideas that will help you to encourage the kids to take part in the cleaning duties on a regular basis. Of course, they will always prefer to spend their free time with more pleasant activities but once they establish such basic habits, they will easily apply the cleaning tasks in a perfect way. Turn the household duties into a fun experience both for you and for the children and do not forget to turn on the music to create a joyful mood for everyone at home.

The article is written by Anna Aamone who runs TenancyCleaning Acton.