Experts Share their Top Cleaning Habits to Teach Kids

Not all chores are created equal and the cleaning habits you teach kids will change as they grow older. We thought we would share with you some appropriate habits delineated by age group.

Preschool Age – For preschoolers you should encourage their curiosity. Preschoolers like to mimic what mum and dad are doing. They also like to ask a lot of questions. You should allow, and encourage them, to follow you around whilst you are cleaning. Further you can encourage them with simple tasks – for example putting their toys away, putting dishes in the sink or putting their clothes in the laundry basket. 

It’s important to remember that they are preschoolers though and will not always be perfect. 

Primary School Age – The cleaning habits to teach kids once they hit primary school age change slightly. When they get to this age you should focus on boundaries and rules. At this age you can assign your children more regular chores. Some examples of appropriate chores at this age include – stacking the dishwasher, taking out the rubbish, making their bed and perhaps even some help in the laundry. 

You still want to be mindful though that this is also an age where your kids may be trying to push boundaries. Don’t get too frustrated with them if they aren’t always perfect. Just make sure that you are persistent. 

Teenagers – As your kids get older, it’s time to increase their responsibility. For example, instead of just “making” their bed, they can take full responsibility for it – changing the sheets etc. They can also help with vacuuming, dusting and other chores that are more complex. You may also encourage them to teach younger siblings how to do their own chores. In teaching their younger brother or sister, a teenager will begin to better understand who good cleaning habits are important as they have to explain them to someone else.

Tips To Make Your Life Easier

It doesn’t matter how old your kids are. Here are three extra tips that we would like to share with you that will make your life easier.

Be Patient & Consistent – Your children will make mistakes, and they will ask a lot of questions. Be patient with them as they are learning how to do their chores and if they make mistakes. You also need to be consistent with your own cleaning. If your kids see you cutting corners, this won’t encourage your kids to develop good cleaning habits.

Focus on Education – In the beginning you want to get your kids to follow you around and learn from you. Teach them how to do different chores, and teach them that everything in the home has its own place.

Consider Toy & Book Rotation – We know you love your children and we know you want them to have the best of the best. But too many books and toys will make it harder for them to develop good cleaning habits. To counter this, you might want to limit the number of toys and books they have on their shelves at one time. You could have a certain number of books and toys easily within reach and the rest stored away in containers. You can rotate these toys regularly so they don’t get bored.

Offer Rewards – Make cleaning a positive experience. Don’t berate your children if they are not perfect, reward them for completing all of their chores. Remember, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. 

The Benefits of Teaching Your Kids Good Cleaning Habits

There are a number of benefits you can get if you focus on the cleaning habits to teach kids that we have mentioned in this article. We just wanted to reinforce a few of them below before we finish up – you can even use these on your kids when teaching them positive cleaning habits:

You will all be healthier – Regular cleaning, including dusting and vacuuming, means there will be less allergens and less bacteria throughout the house. All of you are less likely to get sick. There have also been studies that have shown that mess creates anxiety. So, if the house is clean, you will all have less stress and just generally be happier. 

Everyone will know where everything is – As we mentioned earlier in the article, a good habit to teach your kids is that everything has it’s space. This means there’ll be less yelling out from the kids “Hey, where’s my XXXX.” They will know where everything goes because they have put it away in the right spot before. 

Never again will you freak out about uninvited guests – A common anxiety that many adults have, especially after they have kids, is uninvited guests coming over. They are worried that they will be judged about clutter or mess. If everyone is doing their job and making sure the house is always clean and tidy, then there is less stress here.

It is important to teach your kids great cleaning habits, but it is also okay to engage the experts to get help with your cleaning needs. If you would like a no obligation quote about cleaning for your own house, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to show you how we can help you out.