Most families with children assign at least a few chores to their kids, and this post is all about how to make that simpler. A cleaning schedule your kids can work around is great, but making it simple and easy for them is best. These tips can make cleaning and completing chores fun and easy for everyone in the family.
7 Tips For A Simple Cleaning Schedule For Kids
Create a chore chart.
It’s pretty hard to have a simple cleaning schedule without a chore chart. For younger kids you can use pictures instead of words until they can learn to read the chore on a list. A chore chart can easily be divided by child, what time the chore will be completed by and what is needed to complete it. Amazon has a great selection of chore charts.
Divide into 5 minute chores.
Shorter and smaller chores are best for kids to do. Anything that takes much more than 5 minutes to complete will lose their attention span and only become a hassle for you and your kids. Divide things up into small chores like emptying the garbage, feeding the pets, setting the table or sorting their dirty laundry. You can add to the list as needed, but try to keep most chores to smaller time frames.
Divide between before and after school.
To make it easier for your kids to complete all of their chores, divide them up between morning and afternoon. This means they can do some before and some after school each day. On the weekends it doesn’t tie up their entire morning with chores, and keeps them responsible.
Keep tools accessible.
A cleaning schedule won’t work if you don’t have the right tools for the job. Since kids may not be using cleaning agents, you won’t have to worry too much about this. You do however, want to make sure you have what they need on hand and easy for them to reach. Things like the pet food, broom or extra trash bags for when they take out the garbage. Having tools accessible may only mean that you set them out before they get started and not letting them have complete access to the cleaning supplies.
Swap chores regularly.
Kids get bored, and a cleaning schedule works best when you mix and match things. Routine is great, but kids may get tired of the same chores day in and day out. With multiple children in a family it is easy to swap chores so everyone has a turn and gets variety. For single children you may want to swap chores with them yourself.
Make it a game.
Cleaning as a game is a great way to get younger kids excited and involved. Whether you turn on the music, set timers and race or make it a puzzle, doesn’t matter. As long as they are having fun and learning to enjoy parts of the cleaning schedule it will work great.
Reward quality work.
Giving kids rewards is a great way to keep them motivated. A simple cleaning schedule is easy to reward with things like stickers, a small toy, book or a special treat. Keeping kids on track with rewards is a great way to motivate them to stick to the schedule.
Kids love structure and routine, and you can easily keep a great cleaning schedule that allows them to help you throughout the home on a regular basis.
