Last week I mentioned making cleaning fun! This week and the weeks following, I will give tips on how to make things fun and/or easier in each of the possible rooms you may have in your house. The first set of rooms will be the Main Living areas such as the living room, den, dining room, etc. Many of these rules will also apply to every room in the house.
- Interact with the Children
It is very important no matter what room you are cleaning that you interact with your children. My children always do best if I am either reading to them, singing with them, or working alongside them. Even my ten year old still has a difficult time staying focused on cleaning.
- Assign Each Child a Different Task and Race
We often have a competition. I give each child a different task in each of the rooms and see which child or pair of children can finish his/her task first. We will do this little game with each room. The winner gets a prize. There are some conditions. The winner will also have a happy attitude with no complaining. He/she will work quickly and happily while also treating the other siblings with respect.
- Keep a Drop Off Basket in Each Room
I try to keep a small box or basket in each room to collect the things which do not belong. Then, every evening when we are getting the house ready for Daddy to come home, these things can be put in their proper places. You can play games with the basket by seeing who can get the most items in from a certain distance. Or see who has the least items which are their possessions to put away at the end of the day.
- Give Everything A Home
I try to make sure everything in our house has a designated place or home where it is to be kept. Then, there is no question of where to put items!
- Allow Children to Run and Scream While Vacuuming!
My children love to run around and go wild while someone is vacuuming! They can scream and run as long as the vacuum is going, but they must stop when the vacuum stops. You can play a game sort of like musical chairs or freeze if you want.
- Turn Children Loose Magic Eraser (or Non-Toxic Equivalent such as Hand Pads from Norwex)
Our walls stay dirty! I used to clean them at least once a week. Now, we try once per month. I let the children use the Hand Pads from Norwex to clean the walls. They LOVE it! Especially the younger ones think it is fun! We have a race to see who can get their section cleaned first!
- Tickle with Feather Duster
We will have a tickle game with the feather duster. It is great fun. Also, the children LOVE to use Mommy’s special tools to clean and clean a whole lot more and with a much better attitude when they are using them.
- Set Timer
Set timer for 15-20 minutes see how much you can get done. Then do something fun for about 10-15 minutes. It will keep the children from getting board!
- Take Breaks
If there is a lot to do, take breaks! Do not wear them or yourself out!
- Keep a Positive Attitude!
Keep a positive attitude yourself and you will see it rub off on the children. Make sure to give them praise for a job well done! You can even reward stickers or something else if you want!
These are a few ways to make cleaning the main living areas of your home fun. These are ways which work with our family. Next, week we will cover the kitchen and bathrooms! Happy Cleaning!
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