One of the biggest challenges that parents have is teaching their kids to be tidy and house proud from a young age.
No matter how often you tell kids to tidy up after themselves it never seems to work and the house can quickly become a tip after a few hours of playing which can be incredibly frustrating. So, what can a parent do about this?
Making it Fun
The most effective strategy for getting kids to tidy up after themselves and taking pride in the home’s appearance is to make it fun. You can do this by seeing who can tidy their room first, by setting a timer to see if they complete the chore before time expires or the “tidy away song” which is often used in schools.
Helping them Out
Another way to encourage kids to complete chores is to help them out and to provide direction. If you simply say “clean your room” then it can be hard to know what needs doing but by directing them with specific tasks they will know what is expected of them and you can show them how different tasks should be completed. Additionally, you can break the cleaning down into single chores and create a checklist – this can make the task much easier to manage and it can feel rewarding to tick tasks off as you go.
Age-Appropriate Chores
You also need to make sure that you are not asking too much or tasks which are not age-appropriate. You cannot expect a small child to vacuum their room or change their bedsheets by themselves so think about tasks which they can complete which will be rewarding for them to do.
Storage Solutions
It can also be helpful to have simple storage solutions so that kids know where to put items once they have finished using them. This could include boxes that slide under the bed for their toys or double wardrobes from places like Cotswold Co where they can keep their clothes, shoes and other items.
Lead by Example
Kids tend to take after their parents, so it is important that you are setting a good example for your children. You can do this by tidying up after yourself, by cleaning the home on a regular basis and by having a system in place for cleaning and tidying.
It may seem impossible to get your kids to tidy up after themselves and to take pride in their home, but often all it takes is changing the approach to housework and providing guidance on how to keep the house tidy and clean. This will also put them in good stead for the future when they move out and start their own families as they will know the importance of sharing responsibilities and why you should keep your living space clean.
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