5 Basic Cleaning Skills to Teach Growing Children

Watching our little twin sisters grow before our eyes are the sweetest yet most exhausting moment of our lives as a family.

From their intoxicating yet tender and sweet baby cooing to watching them crawl and boom! grown into two smart, resilient, and most inquisitive teenagers, those memories will forever be precious to me.

BUT! The chores in the house were terrific and exhausting too. As they grow into toddlers, mom and I would assign some light jobs to them such as keeping their toys in the right position, learning to trash under supervision, making the bed, folding clothes, and more- as they grow.

It is no longer news that kids and a clean home do not always seem to go together. However, in the real world, growing children can learn some basic cleaning skills that will help keep the house much tidier.

Here are 5 basic cleaning skills for growing children

1. Making the Bed

It might be a difficult art, but learning how to make a bed is a valuable skill. I remember my first year in college, I had my roomie teach me how to make my bed properly – She learned to make hers at her boarding school while in high school.

Regardless of how difficult you might perceive it to be, It does not mean kids will always do it, but at least they will have much important knowledge on how to pull it off.

You could start by simply showing them how to make their bed when they are toddlers. Then you progress to letting them make the bed themselves.

Kids appreciate the freedom to arrange their pillows and stuffed animals the way they like this can also be a drive for them to make their beds each morning.

Parents could also make it easier for their growing child by choosing less complicated or stuffy bedding. Until kids are school-aged, it is not a bad idea to omit using a blanket on their beds when not in use. Parents might also consider removing extra sheets, blankets, or pillows more especially if they are never used.

2. Laundry

Yeah! kids from 2 years of age can begin to learn about sorting. They could begin with their toys, shoes, and crayons. Young kids often find that sorting items can be fun.

While older toddlers can learn to help put away clothes to the right position. School-aged kids can learn to fold laundry and begin to learn about loading and unloading the washer and dryer with aid of an older adult.

Children between the ages of 8 and 10 are mature enough to have full responsibility for loading the washing machine and dryer as well as cleaning the washing machine or cleaning the dryer.

Undoubtedly, if you begin teaching your child at a young age, at age 10 or 11, the child would have learned the entire process of laundry, from sorting it to putting it away.

3. Dish Washing

Do you know that children who are properly trained can be a big help at washing dishes? Doing the dishes can be quite exhausting, and having extra help can be much valued.

Whether you are teaching your kids to use a dishwasher or wash dishes by hand, one of the best ways to start is by teaching them to scrape and rinse the dishes before washing.

A child between the age of 5- to 6 can be taught how to scrape and rinse their plates after a meal. Then 7- to 8-year-olds can help with drying and putting away dishes. By age 9, kids are ready to learn how to wash different types of dishes or load a dishwasher.

Additionally, it is important to teach safety principles, too. For instance, they could earn to set the knives aside instead of soaking them in hot soapy water where they would be impossible to see – to avoid a domestic accident.

4. Decluttering

Unarguably, decluttering is one skill most adults find difficulty in doing. One of the most useful skills we can teach growing children can be difficult even for adults.

When we teach kids to declutter kinds of stuff at an early age, creates a habit they tend to grow up with it and in turn, becomes handy for them.

You can let kids watch you declutter your stuff. Then in turn share untidy questions aloud as you determine what to keep.

Watching this, some kids might be motivated to donate unused items to less fortunate people. Other kids might be more motivated to sell clutter items to save up for something else they want. Whichever gives them a new perception.

5. Keeping the Floor Clean

Keeping the floor clean seems like a simple task. All you have to do is drag a broom across a floor or throw a damped mop stick to the floor surface.

But effective sweeping and mopping is not always that simple and often takes some practice.

If you give a kid a broom, you are most likely to see dirt flipping everywhere except in the trash. Even with all the new gadgets on the market, learning to use a broom is a great skill kid could use.

Kids between the ages of 7 and 8 can begin to learn how to sweep floors. Younger kids between the ages of 5 and 6 can hold a dustpan for a partner to sweep into. Much older kids can also learn to use other electrical sweeping gadgets in addition to traditional brooms.

However, Learning to mop a floor is a task best suited for older school-aged kids. Kids aged 9 or 10, are old enough to learn to mop without much supervision.

You can teach kids how to prepare mop water with detergents, squeeze out a mop, when to rinse a mop head, what to do with difficult spots, how to rinse out a mop and bucket after usage, and how to store a mop.

You can also educate on how to mop different floor types starting with the ones you may have in your home.

Reference:

The Spruce

Disclaimer: The above information published in this article is solely for informational and educational purposes only. The article written/published does not intend to diagnose, treat or cure any disease and should not be treated as medical advice. Seek the direction of your doctor before any consumption!

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