If you have kids, you are doing a lot of vacuuming and cleaning up a wide variety of messes. From cereal to glitter, you have a lot to take care of. Instead of working alone, how about recruiting some help from your little mess makers? Not only will they appreciate the work it takes to clean up a mess, but they will also grow up into adults who know how to take care of a home. Here are some ways to include your kids at all ages:
- Play chase or hide and seek. If you need to vacuum, pretend that the vacuum is a monster trying to find your kids. Have them find a hiding spot, and as you are vacuuming, they will hear you coming closer and closer. Get your young kids active by pretending to chase them with the vacuum. Just make sure you don’t ever catch them!
- Play a game for clean up. With preschool or kindergarten age children, combine learning colors with clean up time. Give them a color and tell them to pick up all the items that are that color. Little by little, the floor will be cleared and ready to vacuum.
- Divide and race. If you have more than one kid, divide the room and have the kids race against each other to see who can clear their part of the floor first. Just remember that it doesn’t always have to be equal. Give older kids more space than younger kids.
- Give kids the attachments. Often working the attachments is perfect for small kids. Let your child operate the attachment while you do the heavy lifting. They can help vacuum the couch or the stairs, and you don’t have to do as much bending and twisting.
- Pillow forts. When you are ready to vacuum the couch, let your kids make a fort with the cushions. While they are building, you can be vacuuming. Then you also have helpers who can put everything back when you are done.
- Expect kids to clean their own rooms once a week. Once your kids are school age, they can be responsible for picking up their rooms and vacuuming once a week. Children need responsibilities at home to help them know that they have things to contribute to a community and to learn to be independent.
- Pay them. If all else fails, pay your kids a commission to vacuum. They learn that it feels good to get paid to work and how to manage their own money.
When you involve your children in running the house, they feel ownership in keeping the house clean. They also learn valuable skills that will help them in their adult life. Bring your whole family into Buckhead Vacuums to find the perfect vacuum for your home.