4 Easy Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Clean-up

With these endless days spent at home, we want to make sure that our homes are optimized and enhanced in the best way possible. One of the key ways to ensure a productive environment is through organization and systematization. However, instead of carrying the responsibility solely on your own shoulders, here are some tricks on how to include your kids in the cleaning process as well! 


Give everything a home 
First things first, make sure your belongings have a place to go. This will require investing in some updated storage bins or even just upcycling some things you already own. You can use wire or wooden baskets in your closet to hold miscellaneous supplies and match a styled space. Using recycled or thrifted crates is a great way to save money and achieve a similar look as well. No matter what you use, it's crucial to have a specific place where things are stored. When you go about your day and find yourself setting things down wherever there seems to be some extra space, you will begin to make your home feel extremely cluttered and chaotic. Which gives you even more reason to give even the small items in your space, a home. It’s also important to listen to your children's opinions when it comes to where they want to store their belongings. If they have a say on where their toys should go, they are more willing to put the toys away in “their spot” when the time comes. 

Make it fun
Turn on some music the whole family loves! Blasting your favorite tunes will turn the mundane activities of decluttering into a mini dance party. You can even turn this into a fun game as well. Pause the music at random points and everyone has to freeze in exactly the position they were last in. Another game you can implement into your cleaning days is Cleaning Jenga! Breakout your old Jenga game and write a chore on each of the blocks. Whoever knocks the tower over has to do the last chore they pulled out! For more game ideas, refer here

Instill a routine with the family 
If you are someone who prefers an organized schedule or to-do list to help you complete tasks, try coming up with a consistent routine. Whether the routine is right when you wake up, before bedtime, or small times throughout the day, choose something that works well for you or your entire family. The small window of time before you all head to bed may be the ideal time slot for everyone to organize their belongings. It will signify the end of the day as well as give you an orderly home before you fall asleep. You will then wake up to no chores right away and will be able to get right to the important morning routine responsibilities.

Hold everyone accountable
Lastly, if you feel as if these hacks still won’t work for your family, think of implementing a behavior or sticker board. This will ensure some accountability with everyone. Once their specific job is complete they can receive a sticker! You can also let them get creative with their boards and choose a DIY day to let the kids creative juices flow. Once they reach a certain number of stickers, come up with a prize. Incentivizing these chores is an old trick, but one that works so take this opportunity to get inventive and make it your own!

Use this time you have quarantined at home wisely! Instilling these habits in your children now will set them up for a productive future.  

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