Harsh winters can bring chaos into Calgary homes. With closed windows and the heat cranked up, everything gets covered in grime. When your kids are stuck indoors, it can be even harder to keep up with all the mess. With the kids off of school for spring break, now can be the perfect time to work together. Getting your kids to help clean is never an easy task, so we’ve compiled some tips to help you make cleaning more interesting to your children, and feel productive this March!
Cleaning out Closets
Kids have short attention spans, so it’s a good idea to set aside the morning for cleaning, and plan some fun afternoon activities. It will be tough to convince the children that cleaning is an amazing idea, so start with easier tasks you can do together. If you’ve been holding onto outgrown clothes for a young sibling or nostalgia, now is the time to decide if it’s worth keeping. If you’re struggling to give old items away, take pictures and create a scrapbook with the memories you have. Turn cleaning into a fashion show, so the kids can strut their stuff in older looks. Play music, walk a makeshift runway, and throw away everything that doesn’t fit.
Use Their Imagination
Getting children to clean is about controlling the perspective. If your child finds vacuuming relaxing, show them how to do it and set them free. Make this a special time where they can use an iPod and headphones to dance around as they work. Get younger siblings to focus on tasks that can be completed easily. Set a countdown time and challenge them to find all the items that aren’t in their rightful place, or bring dirty clothes to the laundry room. Invent stories together about why you’re cleaning: does the house belong to an evil queen? Are you preparing for the ball? Get creative, using your child’s interests and imagination to get them invested.
Age Appropriate Tasks
You deserve all the help you can get, but it’s tough to know what to expect from a five year old versus their older sibling. Psychology Today has a great article on the kind of tasks to expect at different ages. They focus on small daily chores, so it’s great for after spring break cleaning when you want your kids to keep pitching in. Spend time this break showing them how to do new tasks. Preschoolers are ready to pick up their own toys, learn to make their beds, and feed pets. By 8-10 years old, kids can help make simple meals for the family and take charge of clean laundry, including organizing their own closets.
If you need more than your kids for help, Zanjani Cleaning Services are happy assisting any home in the Calgary area. Take your kids for a family trip while we complete a spring cleaning checklist we created together. We’ll handle deep house cleaning, window washing, carpet cleaning, or anything else you might need done. Our products are all-natural and eco-friendly, so your kids will be able to use your freshly cleaned home as soon as we leave.
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