If your kids look away when you ask them to give you a hand with household chores, you are on the right page. Parenting is no easy task for anyone. And getting your kids to help you with routine tasks can be a hard nut to crack. But the good news is that you can use some ideas and tactics to encourage your little ones to help you with daily cleaning tasks. Let’s take a look at some of these tips.

Change your attitude

First of all, you need to change your attitude and try to connect with them on an emotional level. Just because you are frustrated and tired doesn’t mean they are going to give you a helping hand.

Although it can be difficult for you to connect with them emotionally, remember that it will work eventually. It’s essential to lead by example and use good communication, positivity, and kindness in this process.

Show some Kindness

If you have just parted ways with your spouse, know that it may change the life of your child. So, it is essential to acknowledge and respect the feelings of your child.

Showing kindness and respect will make your kids think that you understand their feelings. On the other hand, getting bad at them won’t help you deal with the situation.

Be Positive

You need to adopt a positive attitude to help your kids do the cleaning with you. For instance, you can say something like, “I know you have been having a tough time, but I am always here for you”.

“Doing laundry is a tedious job, but we need clean clothes”. So, you must try to stay as positive as you can.

Be open to them

Complete transparency is advisable provided your kid is old enough to understand what’s going on. Hiding something from your kids just to make them feel better is not a good idea. If they find it out later, they will get mad at you.

Also, if you are open to your kids, it will help you create a strong co-parenting relationship. So, make sure you and your kids are on the same page when it comes to domestic chores.

In other words, they show what you expect of them. Plus, there should be no tolerance for lying. Just give them a helping hand if they are unable to finish their chores before going to bed.

Consider their age

You must choose age-appropriate chores for your kids. For instance, teens can help you with all types of house chores, but you can’t expect a 6-year-old to mow the lawn for you.

A 10-year-old can help you do the dishes and clean the bathroom. On the other hand, a 5-year-old can help sort silverware for you.

Help them learn to clean at a young age

Kids learn things much faster when they are toddlers. Toddlers love to give their parents a hand with domestic chores. You can get them to help you with small tasks.

For instance, you can ask your toddler to put things with other things or throw unwanted things in the trash can

Create contests

Most kids love taking part in competitions. So, you can ask your kids to clean their bedrooms as fast as they can. And the winner should be rewarded with something they like. For instance, you can prepare their favourite dish for dinner.

For teenagers, you can offer something like a movie ticket or you can allow them to have a friend over.

Set a Time Limit

Giving your kids a time limit to complete their chores can spur them to finish the task much faster. You can say something like, “We are going to clean all of the dishes in the next 15 minutes; let’s see how quickly we can get it done”.

Give Them a list of chores

If you give your kids a list of tasks to choose from, they will be more inclined to help you out. So, make sure you create a list for them. You may have one or two kids who won’t mind doing the dishes every day. So, making a list can help a lot.

Pay Them

You can pay them to give you a helping hand. So, you can decide on a reasonable price for each task. For instance, you can pay $1 for doing the dishes or cleaning the bathroom. You can choose a number that you think is reasonable.

And the plus point is that this practice can help your kids learn money management skills.

Thank Them

Kids love to be appreciated for what they have done. So, when they have completed a task, you should pat them on their backs. A little appreciation will go a long way. And the best part is that if you think of them, they will thank you back.

So, you can follow these 11 tips to encourage your kids to help you with routine domestic cleanings chores.

If you are too busy to clean your house, we suggest that you try London Domestic Cleaners. They can help you thoroughly clean your house.

©London Domestic Cleaners

Well, some would say that cleanliness and kids are usually opposite sides of a fence. True, they don't always go together. But on the other hand, you can teach your children some basic cleaning tips that can help keep the space a little neater. We, at London Domestic Cleaners, recommend that children should be taught some of these tips for both their development and the general health of themselves and the environment.

So what are those cleaning tips that one could teach children right now to help them become tidier? We will be listing and discussing them below;

Teach them to declutter: This is a very important skill every child needs to learn before stepping out into the real world. Kids are usually very reluctant to clear their space, always looking to add more to the ones they have already scattered. But making them watch you declutter would be valuable to their lives as they would grow up to become more responsible individuals.

Teach them how to wash dishes: When you have kids at home, you should not always be doing the dishes alone or all by yourself. Whether it is by hand or with the use of a dishwasher, your children should be able to effectively do the dishes. As children, they can start by scraping food remains and rinsing out the plates. Then, as they grow older and become more comfortable around some of these fragile items, they can start learning how to do the dishes under supervision. In no time, they should be able to do the dishes by themselves. Well, you shouldn't just be in a hurry to teach them washing principles; they should also be able to learn safety principles too. 

Teach them to do laundry: There is no age restriction as to who can start learning laundry. In fact, children of less than five years can start learning it by first learning how to sort items that need to be washed. The older ones can actually start learning to do the actual laundry by first understanding how the washers and dryers work. This can be done under some form of supervision, at least till they are old enough to take full responsibility for laundry processes. By the time the child is ten years or above, they would have learned to sort out dirty items, how to use a laundry machine, and how to dry the items after use.

Teach them to sweep floors: This may look like a very simple task of dragging the broom across the floor, at least until they are asked to do it themselves. Effective sweeping is more complicated than that, and it only takes a bit of practice to become better at it. Give a child a broom, and you will probably see dirt flying all around the house instead of in a pile. Even with the presence of vacuum cleaners and other sophisticated gadgets for cleaning, it would be a wise choice to teach them how to use a dustpan and a broom. When they get older, the more sophisticated gadgets can now come into play.

Teach them to mop floors: This is even more difficult than regular sweeping, and your child needs to know that on time. Let the kids learn how to make mop water, when to rinse the mop head, how to wring water out of the mob, and how to handle any tough stains. They should also be able to understand that different floors may have different patterns for mopping, and safety should be a major concern since the floors might be a little wet while mopping.

Teach them to make their beds: Even though people are becoming less and less conscious of this art, children should be taught to make their beds properly. Even if there may be housekeepers who do it most of the time, children should at least be able to make beds. They can start by dressing their little cots, and as they grow older, they can now start making bigger beds. The major tricks would be getting them beds that have less complicated materials and allowing them to make the beds however they feel like it. Parents can also consider removing bets with extra blankets, sheets, and pillows. Most of these items are never used.

London Domestic cleaners believe that everyone has to play their part to make the world a cleaner and healthier place, including children, so teach them these valuable skills today.

© London Domestic Cleaners