Domestic Cleaners Chiswick 20th May 2018

We're always here when cleaning is needed, but sometimes the little ones need to help out too! Getting children to clean can be a hassle, but it's important to instill within them certain habits before they get too old. Here are some tips and tricks to assist you in training your young cleaners!

Starting from the youngest age, toddlers love to help out, "often feeling a great amount of pride in their accomplishments" (as cited from Andrea Reiser, a parenting blogger and mother of four); and when you establish cleaning as one of the expectations in your household, children will catch on quickly and come to terms with the idea that they are important to making the house run smoothly. Despite this, she also notes that you should tether your expectations and find tasks within their capability: for those as young as 2-3, that might just be putting toys back where they need to be, or collecting place mats after meals.

Furthermore, while you should also tether your expectations, it is also important to avoid redoing the things they do (even behind their back!) if you think that their work is insufficient. If you do this, they'll come to the conclusion that their work wasn't good enough (toddlers are perceptive), which will discourage them. If you really can't resist and you're super fussy about something, then it might be worth considering carefully what you ask them to do - if you're really fussy about something, then avoid asking your kids to do it, so that you aren't irked when they do it incorrectly. This also ties in with selecting jobs appropriate for their age and subsequent skill level.

As they start to get a little older, nearing ages 5 and 6, you can begin given them more complex tasks. However, it is important to pin down exactly what you want them to do; "tidy up your room" is too broad. If you tell them to do something specific, for example, "put the play tea set away", they'll feel far less overwhelmed and will be more likely to comply.

Finally, make it a game! Toddlers and even slightly older children really enjoy having interesting and entertaining concepts incorporated into their work. Task them to clear a room before a song ends, have them dance a little, or if you have multiple young children, pit them against each other in a contest and add a little prize! Things like this do well at invigorating children, and as they grow older, this encouragement becomes less and less necessary as errands become more second-nature.

We hope these tips helped you out, but little kids can't clear up all messes! For times like those, you can rely on our cleaning serivces to give you a helping hand.

Homepage: http://www.domestic-cleaners.co
Phone: 020 8144 7173
Email: enquiries@cleaning-circle.co.uk