Let’s face it, we all know that having children running around the place is going to cause a mess. Things will get spilt, items are broken, marks on the wallpaper and stains on the floor – for this you may need eco bond carpet cleaning if the stain is too tough for you to get out yourself.
Teaching your children the value of cleaning up has many benefits, not only does it make your life easier – as you are the one that’s going to have to do it if your little ones don’t. It also helps your children learn new skills and can make them aware of the consequences of their actions.
Just like helping your children read and write, teaching them about money when they get older, teaching them to clean and tidy can be very beneficial. Below are three different tips to help teach your children the value of cleaning up – your interiors will thank you!
Remove the idea that cleaning is a punishment
One trap that many parents fall into is using the idea of cleaning as a punishment. What this does is reinforce the view of cleaning as a negative, instead of a positive. This can put children off cleaning as they see it as a punishment, not something that could benefit them in the future. Try to also stay away from saying cleaning is a chore as just like a punishment, this makes your children see it as a negative. Instead, try to put a positive spin on it, explain the benefits and why cleaning is good for you – as they say, tidy space, tidy mind.
Keep it realistic
As with anything in life, set a realistic target, otherwise, it can be demoralizing and you start to resent it. Instead of asking your children to wash up, do the hoovering and tidy their room, set smaller targets and explain why it’s good for them. Stay away from overwhelming your children and challenge them to smaller tasks. Ask them to tidy their room and then next time do the washing up. As with everything in life, compromise is extremely important.
Make it a family mission
Things are more fun if you know everyone else is doing it at the same time. When setting cleaning tasks, don’t just set tasks for your children to do. Set tasks that you all do at the same time. This way your children see you tidying at the same time as them, making it seem fair. Explain to them that the more they tidy with you, the more time you will get to spend with them after doing fun things like playing in the garden or on a games console.
The above are three tips of many to help teach your children the value of tidying up. What tips do you have for helping teach your children the value of cleaning up? Which of the three tips above do you agree most with? Is there anything you would like to add that will benefit our other readers? Let us know in the comment box below.
