Including children in house cleaning can be very beneficial both for them and for us as parents. With summer vacation just around the corner, we are beginning to feel overwhelmed by having the house clean and ready for when school is over. The truth is that cleaning can be very tedious, especially with children at home. But what if we get the children to participate in cleaning the house? Here are some reasons why the participation of the little ones in these tasks is essential and beneficial.
BENEFITS OF INCLUDING CHILDREN IN HOUSEHOLD CLEANING
Parents often decide not to delegate household chores to their children. Although this decision may seem insignificant, the truth is that this can be conclusive in the child’s future personality. It is proven that incorporating our children into household chores strengthens their self-confidence, encourages responsibility, and enhances their independence.
In addition, children’s minds are always looking for continuous learning, so offering them the opportunity to try and try something new will be a great way to develop their skills.
One reason parents do not include their children in cleaning and organization activities is fear of intoxication or injury. However, with proper supervision and putting age-appropriate products within their reach, this need not happen. Other times, parents decide to carry all the weight of the home because they think that incorporating the little ones is not a good idea and their work will multiply, or simply because they have a complacent attitude: not to “bother” the children.
When people are at an early age, their personalities are being created, and without a doubt, the first years end up marking their way of being in the future. For this reason, they need to learn to be self-sufficient and take responsibility for their actions.
For children, household chores can become fun since, approached in the right way, they will be like games in which their role is essential to achieve a specific objective. It is also necessary that the children see their parents carry out the activities at home since they are their closest references and their example to follow. This way, once their work is finished, their self-esteem will be reinforced, and they will feel more involved in the family nucleus.
WAYS TO INCLUDE CHILDREN IN HOUSE CLEANING
In the following points, you will find some tips to include children in house cleaning:
BUILD CLEANING HABITS
It is essential to put aside the idea of wanting to get a clean room and focus on doing small concrete tasks. This way, the child will not be overwhelmed with the work through more specific activities. It is about achieving a general cleaning through small steps. An example could be that the child cleans the windows with a cloth or duster, and later the parent finishes cleaning the windows with the application and removal of the product.
THEY HAVE THEIR CLEANING MATERIALS
You can collect the materials and products that are safe for their age in a basket so that, in this way, they feel that their work is essential, and they can carry out the tasks in an accessible and safe manner. This basket can include cloth or cloth, a cleaning liquid (it can be water for the little ones), soap, and a brush.
SHOW, DON’T TELL
This is very important so that the task they carry out is as fruitful as possible and they do not feel frustrated. The key for them to carry out an activity correctly is to show them how to do it, not just tell them about it. If children see their parents clean a table with a cloth, their brains will be able to assimilate more quickly and efficiently how they should do it. In this step, parents must be patient and show, step by step, how to do this activity,
As a last piece of advice, you can also use tables or lists where the child can see the tasks she has to do every day and write down which ones she has managed to complete. Visual lists are recommended for the little ones (with stickers, drawings, etc.), and text can be added for the older ones. This will challenge them to clean the house and help them stay motivated to complete all the activities.
In short, if we want to contribute to the proper development of our children, we must consider the advice that we h in this article to include children in house cleaning. Not only will we stop being the butlers of our children, but we will be favoring their personal growth and worth.
