Tidy children often mean happy parents, but getting kids into house cleaning and enthusiastic about organisation has a wide range of benefits for everyone.
A recent study conducted by the University Of Cambridge found that money habits are formed in children from as young as seven years of age. They’re watching you, and the example that you set – and that includes everything from the way you treat other people, how you solve problems, and even your cleaning habits.
As many of us already know, our environment has a direct impact on our mental health. When we live in a stressful, cluttered space it can feel impossible to overcome life’s challenges. While taking proactive steps to clean and improve our environment can release endorphins, our children have a more difficult time understanding why having a clean house is such a big deal.
Six Ways To Get Children Excited About A Clean House
Although considered to be one of the most rewarding journeys we can choose from life, sharing your home with a child can be a rollercoaster of emotions, noises and messes. As a parent, it’s your job to ultimately ensure that your child has a safe place to learn and absorb the world under your care, and a kids’ room is ground zero with where these experiences all start.
However, many parents understand all too well the pain of getting their kids to clean up. While children are all too happy to pull out every single one of their worldly possessions at play time, putting items back where they belong is another matter entirely. There may be tears, there may be screaming – and the child might even get upset as well.
While children might be little cyclones that leave a trail of debris in their wake, the good news is that there’s plenty of tips and tricks to get your kids excited about house cleaning and putting their stuff away.
Set A Good Example – Before your kids can even grasp the concept of a clean house, take a look at what kind of behaviour you’re modelling. If your kitchen is in a constant state of disarray or there’s always stuff on the dining table, it might be a case of “do as I say, not as I do.” If you’re short on time, consider investing in a house cleaning expert to take the pressure off.
One In One Out Rule – Children often need clear and simple instructions, so they might be having difficulty grasping what is considered neat and tidy, and what is not. Instead, overhaul your approach and try the ‘one in, one out’ rule. When your child goes to grab a new toy, be clear that they need to put the previous toy they were playing with back first.
Make House Cleaning Fun – As Mary Poppins once said, ‘for every job that must be done, there is an element of fun’. Try to change the narrative that house cleaning is a boring and dreaded job, and make it into a game. Start by playing music while everyone gets stuck into putting their things away, or turn it into a competition if you have more than two children.
Smart Storage Solutions – If you’re trying to encourage your little ones to be more tidy or organised, make sure that you’re empowering them with the right tools. If they have shelving in their room that they can’t reach, it’s not an efficient form of storage. Instead, try using baskets that they can easily access, and can therefore easily put their things back where they belong.
Less Is Often More – To avoid having mountains of toys to sift through, try to conduct regular audits of exactly how many your children have access to, and which toys they actually use. It’s a good idea to have them present if you’re doing a cull, and can keep them involved in the decision making process of what should stay, and what should be donated to charity.
As a general rule, don’t try not to clean up without your kids being there to help. Whatever the task is, whether it be folding laundry, putting away toys, or even making their bed, it should be done with them present.
Children need to learn early that there’s not a magical cleaning fairy that comes throughout the night and does all the work. It’s never too early for kids to learn the responsibility of house cleaning, because the day will soon come where nobody will be there to do it for them.
In saying that, there still comes a time where busy mums and dads need to find the balance between making the most of their time, and having a clean house. To get the best of both worlds, investing in a reliable house cleaner to take care of the bigger tasks can be worth their weight in gold – but where do you find one?
Ditch The Chemicals And Stay Clean With Goodwings
We all know that good help can be hard to find, particularly when it comes to finding a reliable housekeeper that you can trust. Offering four to six hour cleaning packages, just a handful of the services on offer with the Cleaning Angels at Goodwings include bed linen changes, washing, and topping up everyday household goods like washing powder, shampoos, toilet paper and much more.
Given the fact that eco-friendly cleaning agents have been demonstrated to be just as effective at tackling various chores as traditional cleaning products, the weekly or fortnightly packages on offer through Goodwings enable Queenslanders to continue on with a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing the cleanliness of their homes.
To find out more about the services on offer with us at Goodwings, get in touch to discuss how we can provide your household with world class cleaning solutions.
