I decided to answer the comment on my last post with another post!
The question basically was, "What can little ones do to help with the chore load?"
In my house, everyone has to do their share of helping to keep the house clean. Everyone down to the youngest kid that can walk is responsible for their own dishes each meal. Even a toddler can put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or the sink! Alyssa loves to put the silverware away. I get a stool or chair and pull it up next to the drawer and let her stand there and work on that while I put the other dishes away. Of course, I remove any sharp knives first!
As far as sweeping, we have a small wisk broom and dustpan set that I keep under the sink. Amanda is getting to be pretty handy with that! You could even get a couple of these and let your kids work together on this project - get it done faster!
Instead of wiping the table myself after every meal, sometimes I will give one of the younger kids a wet sponge and let them wipe off the table while I put the food stuff away. It may not get perfectly clean, but it will get most of the visible stuff off for the next meal! I usually wipe the table after dinner and make sure that it gets a good cleaning at least once a day or let one of the older kids do it.
Most of my younger kids like to dust. I either spray for them and then let them wipe everything dry, or if I am trying to get something else done, I get a pack of dust wipes - the ones that are pre-moistened - then tell them where to work and then let them go to work. There isn't a whole lot that the kids could actually ruin with those wipes so it's ok if they accidentally clean something else! I also like the Mr. Clean wipes - the kids can do the front of the stove, dishwasher and refigerator. Just make sure that they are old enough to know not to eat them or wipe their face with them!
If you have a vaccuum with a hose attatchment, the kids can clean the stairs and around the baseboards and in the corners.
Everyone except Alyssa - who is 2 - is perfectly capable of making their bed. It may not be perfect but hey, it's made and I didn't have to do it!
It's amazing how much fun kids can have while cleaning! Little people love to play with sponges and rags and see how much dirt they can wash away, so I say take advantage of it and give them something to clean!
The question basically was, "What can little ones do to help with the chore load?"
In my house, everyone has to do their share of helping to keep the house clean. Everyone down to the youngest kid that can walk is responsible for their own dishes each meal. Even a toddler can put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or the sink! Alyssa loves to put the silverware away. I get a stool or chair and pull it up next to the drawer and let her stand there and work on that while I put the other dishes away. Of course, I remove any sharp knives first!
As far as sweeping, we have a small wisk broom and dustpan set that I keep under the sink. Amanda is getting to be pretty handy with that! You could even get a couple of these and let your kids work together on this project - get it done faster!
Instead of wiping the table myself after every meal, sometimes I will give one of the younger kids a wet sponge and let them wipe off the table while I put the food stuff away. It may not get perfectly clean, but it will get most of the visible stuff off for the next meal! I usually wipe the table after dinner and make sure that it gets a good cleaning at least once a day or let one of the older kids do it.
Most of my younger kids like to dust. I either spray for them and then let them wipe everything dry, or if I am trying to get something else done, I get a pack of dust wipes - the ones that are pre-moistened - then tell them where to work and then let them go to work. There isn't a whole lot that the kids could actually ruin with those wipes so it's ok if they accidentally clean something else! I also like the Mr. Clean wipes - the kids can do the front of the stove, dishwasher and refigerator. Just make sure that they are old enough to know not to eat them or wipe their face with them!
If you have a vaccuum with a hose attatchment, the kids can clean the stairs and around the baseboards and in the corners.
Everyone except Alyssa - who is 2 - is perfectly capable of making their bed. It may not be perfect but hey, it's made and I didn't have to do it!
It's amazing how much fun kids can have while cleaning! Little people love to play with sponges and rags and see how much dirt they can wash away, so I say take advantage of it and give them something to clean!
2 comments:
This was great, Bev. Thanks! I'm going to be putting them to work tomorrow w/ the dust buster on the stairs and wipes on the dishwasher/oven and fridge. MY problem is that I want it done well. I need to remember to aim for the principle I'm teaching them and work on the technique a little later down the road.
great pic of the kids ON the table cleaning it!! Abraham knows how to put his dirty cup and stuff in the sink and he likes to "sweep" altho we don't have much floor to sweep -my mom does tho. He also loves it when I'm doing laundry - he grabs the dirty clothes and wants to put them in the washer - I lift him up, he throws them in and then shuts the lid.
Great ways to get kiddos in on the maintenance of the house!
Erinn
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