Useful ways to get your little ones to help with tidying
Sometimes getting our children to help with tidying away toys or giving a hand with household chores is not an easy task.
Although little ones may protest that they don’t want to do housework, it’s an important and valuable life lesson to instil in them from a young age so they learn about responsibility and cleanliness.
Giving all family members age-appropriate jobs to do around the house will not only help you with keeping your home in order, but it will make a positive impact on your child’s development as they learn about teamwork, time management and good work ethics.
If you’re looking for ways to make tidying seem a bit easier on child, we have some wonderful ideas that will help encourage them to remain on top of any chores they are given. Check our tips out below so your child won’t dread clean-up time.
Create a routine
Humans are creatures of habit and children often work best when given a routine to follow. Create a routine for a daily or weekly job so your child gets used to it and it will eventually become a habit. Whether it’s putting their toys away in a box when they’re finished playing or helping to put dishes into the dishwasher or sink after each meal, they will learn to continue doing their task with a consistent routine.
Show them how it’s done
Children will imitate what they see and hear around them. If they see you doing household chores, they will understand what needs to be done in the house and be more likely to copy you.
Give choices
When children don’t want to do something, giving them a choice between two options can help them feel more in control of the situation and happier to help out. Let them get involved when choosing age-appropriate household chores for them to do. For example, if it’s time for them to sweep the floors, and they aren’t keen on doing it, give them a choice of what room to start in.
Offer rewards
When children are still young and only beginning to help with housework, offering them an incentive to do it is a great way to encourage them and get them excited. These rewards could include allowing them screentime after they do the chore or letting them choose what movie you watch as a family together that evening. Don’t over-do it when it comes to giving rewards as they may expect it every time they do a chore, but in the early days, this can be a positive push to include them in cleaning and tidying.
Praise them
Most children work best when praised for what they do so after they complete a task, make sure to give them positive feedback to help motivate them for when it’s time to tidy up again. Encourage them while they’re doing the job and remind them of how good their efforts are and how appreciated they are so they feel accomplished.
Help out
With younger children, they may not understand how to do certain tasks like stacking books on a shelf in a safe way or pairing socks together, so ensure to show them how to do a job beforehand. Some children may get stressed and overwhelmed if something isn’t working out how they think it should and to prevent this, patiently show them how to do a job rather than just asking them.