How to Start Developing Cleaning Habits in your Children?

July 19, 2023

When you teach your kids to clean, you are not only training them in household chores like vacuuming the carpet or picking up toys. You are teaching additional life skills such as responsibility, organization, discipline, management, patience and initiative.  

A cleaning routine for your kid equips them with a set of tools to use not only for chores but for other life tasks. Cleaning is also a great way to bring the family together. 

Here are 5 tips to motivate children to start cleaning:

1. Make it fun and celebrate!

Cleaning can be a fun activity! Plan cleaning games or competitions to incorporate the fun in cleaning tasks. You can create scavenger hunts for tidying or countdown 10 minute cleaning races after dinner.

Cleaning to your favorite songs also makes chores more lively. Have your kids build an upbeat cleaning playlist of music to jam out to while cleaning. 

2. Be positive with feedback and affirm their effort and work.

A child is more likely to repeat an action or behavior if enforced by positivity or reward.  Giving genuine encouraging feedback to your kids is important. You want to reaffirm their effort and work so they understand they are doing a good job. Positive responses such as “Wow good job sweeping the floor!” or “look at how good you are doing”  reinforces the cleaning skills you are trying to teach. 

3. Show them how and do it together.

Children learn many behaviors through observation and will imitate what they see or hear.  Your example of cleaning habits are a significant influence to your children as well as your attitudes toward cleaning.  Generate an environment where cleaning is a priority and a positivity. Be a role model to your children when it comes to a cleaning routine!

4. A way for everyone to be involved.

No matter what ages your kids are, there is a way for every child to participate in cleaning. Start with small tasks which are manageable. You don’t want to become overwhelmed or your kids to become overwhelmed. Assign different duties or have the children choose options of chores or cleaning activities. 

5. Consider a kid friendly cleaning kit

Having a kid friendly cleaning kit of supplies on hand, can help your child more easily participate in cleaning and practice responsibility. Child sized cleaning kits can contain different supplies or tools such as a small broom, dustpan, duster and miniature spray bottle.

Every child is different, so you might have to get creative with them, but keep it fun! Do not scare them away from the tasks through forceful behavior, but help them to develop a habit, so that it doesn’t become a chore to them! They say that it takes time to develop a habit, so keep it consistent and you will have little helpers at home in no time!

Author: Audrey Kleiner, Marketing Director of Marina’s Cleaning Services LLC.