Spring is upon us, and with it comes the compulsion to clean, put away, and dust every space in the house. Ideally, at least. Life doesn’t always go as planned, especially when it comes to our best-laid cleaning goals. However, if you want to make a real difference in your home this spring, here are three helpful tips for getting your whole family involved. Come June, you’ll be breathing easier and living simpler.
Assign children a dedicated space
Give your kids some responsibility of their own this cleanup season. And no, you can’t assign them their own room. They’ve heard “Clean your room!” more times than they can count and they have most likely become immune to the idea. Instead, give him another room or area of the house to supervise. If they haven’t cleaned this room deep before, they will pay more attention to small details.
Reinvent Giving Time
A lot of toys and clothing accumulate over the course of a year, and most families end up donating their surplus items to friends, family, or charity. Some kids balk at the idea of giving away their beloved items. To make the process easier, give your child an amount or a percentage of the toys that she needs to sort to donate. Once they select the toys and clothes themselves, explain the process as “giving gifts to friends you haven’t met yet.” Involve your children in a creative activity, such as writing a card or letter to the imaginary recipients of the donation.
Have a garage sale contest
Let your kids claim ownership of the spring cleaning process by letting them create and manage their own desk at your next garage sale. Give them a number of items to choose, value and sell on their own or with the help of mom and dad. Host a friendly contest: The sibling who sells the most over the weekend can donate that amount to a charity of her choice, keep it as an allowance, or win a prize you determine in advance.
The more responsibility a child can take on for a task, the better he or she will perform. By empowering her children to be their best, she is creating lifelong good habits.