Your kids should probably be feeling lucky that you’re even asking the question of whether cleaning can be fun for them, since many parents inflict it upon them without stopping to think whether they might enjoy it!
Of course, cleaning when handled in the right way, can be a whole lot of fun for kids, and here are some simple tips for keeping the enjoyment levels up for them:
Make them a cleaning basket:
Let your kids pick out a brightly coloured basket from the store and help them to fill it with the items that they’ll need for completing some simple cleaning chores. No need to over complicate things, making their basket so heavy that they can’t even lift it! Just a few simple items such as disinfectant wipes, a dustpan and brush and some microfibre dusters should be enough.
Clean together:
If you have more than one child helping you to clean, then pair them up or split them into groups depending on how many of them there are, and you’ll find that they’ll get the tasks completed quicker and to a higher standard. Team work also helps kids to learn and build their skills, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved!
Be prepared to actually let them help!
While it can be tempting to just complete the necessary cleaning chores yourself – after all, you’re probably quicker and will make a better job of it – it’s important that you have the patience to let them learn. Not only is it good for them to feel as if they’re helping you, they will need to clean their own homes when they eventually step out into the big, wide world without you, and they’ll certainly need some cleaning skills.
Be sure to reward them:
Kids function much better with the prospect of a reward at the end of the task, in much the same way that us adults like to be paid for our work! Give your kids an incentive to help you clean, whether it be money, candy, a trip to the park or some other special treat that they deserve, and you’ll find their willingness increases tenfold. As they get older and understand more about the responsibilities of keeping a clean home, or at the very least, a clean bedroom, then naturally you can reduce the rewards as you see fit.
What if you don’t have kids? Well, then a professional cleaning company is probably what you need; anything that means you don’t have to worry about cleaning your home when you have so many better things to be doing.