Whether kids help clean up or not can make all the difference between a parent who is stressed and overworked or a parent who has time and energy for his or her family. Here are five fun and simple ways parents can teach their children to clean up after themselves from an early age.

Start When They Are Young

Little children have yet to figure out that cleaning is a chore, not a game. Capitalize on this by having children help from a very young age. Children can help put toys in a toy box even before they can walk. As they get older, they can help put silverware away, throw clothes in the hamper and vacuum.

Make It Routine

If cleaning is used as a punishment, children will view it as such. Instead, cleaning should be a part of a child’s everyday routine. If children are expected to pick up their toys every night before bed or throw their pajamas in the hamper every morning, they will soon do it automatically.

Set a Good Example

If parents expect their children to clean up, parents should set a good example by maintaining a clean home themselves. Children learn more from what parents do than what parents say. By keeping up with their housekeeping responsibilities and talking to kids about the importance of a clean house, parents can motivate children to want to clean, instead of forcing them to do it because mom or dad said so.

If an overabundance of clothes, toys and other miscellaneous items is making cleaning responsibilities more burdensome than they should be, families may want to consider putting things they don’t use as frequently into Santa Ana self storage units. With less stuff to pick up, the job will be easier and get done faster.

Make It a Game

Parents can get their children excited about cleaning by turning cleaning into a game. Children can throw their toys in a toy box like they are playing basketball. They can race to see how many toys they can pick up before a buzzer goes off. They can solve riddles to see which toy they need to pick up next.

Make It a Competition

Competitions help children clean up in a hurry. Whether they are racing against a sibling, a parent or to beat their own time, children will do their very best to win. Parents can start competitions such as who can clean up the toys the fastest, who can clean up the greatest number of toys or who can stack their toys the neatest.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want children to clean up.