Teaching your kids to clean can be a great life lesson for them and help around the house for you. But how you teach them can make all the difference between a help and a hurt. Here’s how to teach your kids to clean well…
When I moved to Las Vegas years ago, I had no job, little savings, and a somewhat impractical degree under my belt. It wasn’t long before I needed a job, and needed one fast.
After some fruitless interviews, I walked into a nearby restaurant and filled out an application to be a waitress. Under experience, I wrote, “none.” I didn’t have high hopes for a callback.
But I did get one. When I came in for the interview, I made sure the manager knew I had zero experience (maybe he called the wrong applicant). I’ll never forget what he said.
“Perfect. Then you don’t have any bad habits I have to train out of you.”
Our children are like inexperienced applicants. They might be ready to do a job, but they have no idea how to do it. They are blank slates. Which means that we can imprint upon them the right way to do things by teaching them ourselves.
Teaching the Right Way
This post is about cleaning, but that is just one area of life that we need to educate and train our children. From how to make a heartfelt apology to lessons on money management, driving, and living in faith, we are always teaching our kids something.
And how we teach is just as important as what we teach.
Training children how to do something requires patience, clear communication, and grace. These three things will give you the ability to teach them right, and them the ability to learn right.
Patience is important because without it, you won’t be able to weather the ups and downs of teaching. Sometimes kids grasp things right out of the gate, and other times you will need to repeat yourself many times. Be patient because frustration kills everyone’s motivation.
Clear communication is essential because otherwise, your directions won’t be understood. Or, on the flip side, your children won’t be able to explain what they need more training in. Since we are the adults, we need to be both good speakers and listeners for when our children can’t find the words.
Grace is especially vital for the parents who struggle with perfectionist tendencies. No one is perfect, but the newly trained even less so. There will be mistakes and miscommunication. Giving each other grace allows you to move past those things, improve, and try again.
Teaching Your Kids to Clean
While most of us don’t enjoy cleaning, it is something that usually falls to us as the adults. Growing up, our kids see us clean the dishes, wash the floors, and dust. That fact is actually a huge help in the teaching process.
Because children are always excited to do things that are “grown-up,” cleaning seems like a privilege to them, rather than a chore. So, they are very willing to take on the chores that we ourselves don’t really enjoy.
When my daughter turned 10, I said she could now clean the toilets (my least favorite job). She acted like that was the birthday present! My son enviously said that he can’t wait until he turns ten. I could never have anticipated that response to my most hated chore.
Build enthusiasm
As I mentioned, kids are excited to do grown-up things. Build enthusiasm by making lists of age-appropriate cleaning tasks so that each year, the kids level up to a new set of big kid jobs.
For some ideas, take a look at these chores for 5-year-olds, 7-year-olds, and 9-year-olds.
Be the example
If you show your kids how you cut corners, that’s what they will do. If you want them to learn the right way, then that’s what you need to show them.
When I used to train new employees at my last job, I would first show them the correct, by-the-book way of doing things. Then, I’d show them the short-cuts that increased efficiency, but didn’t sacrifice quality.
Do the same with your kids. Let them see the right way before you show them your tricks. It might be they prefer the long way, or they might come up with their own cleaning hacks to teach you!
Provide clear instructions
If you’ve been taking care of the family cleaning for a while, there are probably things that you do without even thinking about it. The order in which you clean to avoid spreading germs. The way you vacuum out of a room. How you time the laundry so you can fold it straight out of the dryer (ok, I don’t either, but some people don’t realize that wrinkles build character…).
Break your process down in your own mind before explaining it to your kids. Write it down—which will be helpful when they are on their own since it can act as a checklist.
Once you are sure of all the steps, go through each one with your child. Explain the how, but also the why. This will keep them from skipping important steps because they will know the reason behind why they must be done a certain way.
Ask and answer questions
The best way to make sure your child understands what you’ve taught them is to ask them questions. Have them narrate back what you’ve said to make sure they got the gist of it.
Answer any of their questions. Some may seem silly (“Why do we have to sweep before we mop?”), but they are genuine questions that you should take seriously. If you can impress upon your kids the importance of what you’re teaching them, they will take it as seriously as you do.
Start before they develop bad habits
Begin teaching your kids how to clean the right way before they develop their own bad habits. It’s harder to unteach something than to teach it in the first place. So, take the time to train your kids before they fill the void with their own methods and techniques.
If you’ve already got a few bad habits taking roots, gently and persistently show your child the right way. Don’t tell them they’re wrong, demean, or lower their confidence. Instead, offer suggestions, improvements, and even some friendly competition.
Offer to mop half the floor your way while they do the other half theirs. Have a few impartial family members judge the results. But there’s no need for a winner. Just seeing the difference should be enough to influence your child to makes some changes.
Remember, kids want to help. They want to do the grown-up things around the house. And they want to be appreciated. So, offer them positive encouragement as they make changes for the better.
Build them up
Without compliments and appreciation, even the best little helper’s enthusiasm will wane. You need to remember to regularly compliment, thank, ooh and ahh, and generally make your child feel like they are not only doing good work, but contributing to the family and home.
Mature kids don’t do chores for allowance or so they can get screen time. They do it because they are important members of the family and their chores make everyone’s life better.
Instill in them the value of their work and you will build their self-esteem as well as make them a helpful and generous part of your family and home. And one day, an integral part of their own.
I hope these suggestions will help you teach your kids to clean the right way and make your days just a little easier. Chores may not be our favorite thing to do, but with the right training, they can be a fun, confidence-building exercise that your children will carry with them long after they have their own families.
How did you teach your kids to clean? What suggestions do you have for things that worked or things that don’t? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Interested in more posts on cleaning with kids? Check out these posts:
How to Get Your Kids to Clean…and Love it (Really!)
3 Cleaning Routines and Choosing the One that is Right for You20
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