Cleaning With the Kids

This is the second of three guest posts by our friend Amy, who blogs at The Finer Things in Life. Her three part series focuses on getting things done with toddlers. As a mom who has had toddlers for the past 13 years I cannot wait to read her ideas.

Cleaning at my house, well… I’ll be the first mom to admit that in my grand list of priorities, both mental and written, cleaning doesn’t often make it to the top. I can usually think of 100 things I’d rather be doing. Add my lack of motivation to the fact that I have little people at my feet all day, and I can come up with lots of excuses to just let it go.

With or without my kids, excuses or no excuse… some things simply have to be done. I’ve found that instead of using nap time to frantically catch up on chores (and miss a quiet hour of blogging? no way!) I can still get household jobs done sufficiently if I let my littles join in. My house might not be as clean and it definitely takes me twice as long , but working with my children…

keeps them safe and in my sight prevents them from creating a new mess while I’m cleaning something else gives me more quality time with them teaches them some home management skills (and so much more!) is fun for them. I better capitalize on that while I can!

Here are some cleaning cues that work for us.

General:

Use safe, non-toxic cleaners. When my kids are cleaning with me, I make sure that anything they are spraying (their favorite task) is not harmful in any way. By the way, I would love to hear about your favorite natural cleaning solutions. Please leave your suggestions in the comments! Um, do save the windows for naptime. We’re going for fewer smudges, not more. Set aside the perfectionism. It’s not gonna happen…

Dusting:

My kids fight over love the feather duster. Maybe if I had three of those I would never have to dust again! Second best to the feather duster is the “old sock over the hand” trick. They think it’s silly to have daddy’s sock on their hand and I like that it’s easy to hold on to. Old socks are my preferred dust rag.

Laundry: My favorite task to do with my kids. So many preschool skills can be practiced over a pile of clean laundry!

: Happy Helpers

Let them sort clothes into piles. This is a great opportunity to build color and size vocabulary. My three-year old future professional athlete loves to “make baskets” as he tosses clothes into the washing machine. “Awwww, missed!” They can pour soap and push buttons on the washing machine and dryer. My 14 month old gets a huge kick out of handing me clothes to fold from the laundry basket. We work on please and thank you and cheer her on. She claps for herself… Preschoolers can fold washcloths and small towels, shorts, etc. Anything with one or two folds. Kids can take clothes to their room and put them away. Mine tend to “forget” that step. The boy gets a big kick out of matching socks. What a great visual skill, and he can just have that job!

Sweeping:

I use the broom, they use the dustpan (”that my job, mom”)… great coordination work and gross motor skills. We don’t have one yet, but maybe a kid-sized broom will go on the next Christmas list.

The most important thing to remember about cleaning with the kids is that it’s really about the kids, not the cleaning. My top priority is raising my children. Teaching them to care for our home (while learning other skills along the way), giving them a sense of pride in a job well done (they love to tell daddy how they’ve helped out), and having fun accomplishing a task together is much more important than how pristine my home looks.

And truly, if you’re coming to my house to inspect my nicely folded washcloths, or if you’re planing to give my woodwork the “white glove test” well… you might just ought to save yourself the trip.

Great post Amy, thanks for all of your great tips! If you are interested in guest blogging for Happy to be at Home email the 3 Moms at 3Moms@happytobeathome.net.

You can find more Homemaker Mondays over at 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven.

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AUTHOR | Amy

Amy is the loving mother of three young children and lives with her husband in a tiny town in Kansas. Her blog, The Finer Things in Life, celebrates and encourages others in all of the things that money cannot buy: faith, motherhood, simplicity, tiny towns, and good home cookin'.

Posted by Amy on Sep 28th, 2008 | Filed Under Mommyhood

Tagged as cleaning house, cleaning products, cleaning with the kids, home organization

9 comments
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Jo Ann DiPierro of Jo Ann's Professional Touch, Inc | September 28th, 2008, at 9:46 pm >>

Great tips Amy! As a Maid Service owner, we always try to work with the kids in the summer to get them involved in areas like their rooms, family rooms and kitchen. They look forward to our staff making up the project of the day to surprise mom when she gets home. It gives them a great sense of accomplishment!

Cleaning With the Kids « | September 28th, 2008, at 10:01 pm >>

[...] the Kids Posted on September 28, 2008 by Amy I’m a guest poster again this week at Happy to be at Home.Â The topic?Â Cleaning with the kids.Â Those of you who know me in person… quit [...]

Amy | September 29th, 2008, at 11:18 am >>

Yes, Yes! I love your cleaning with kids tips!

I use 50/50 vinegar and water in cleaning spray bottles. I use it on everything. It works well and is safe for kids (my 15-month old likes to drink it!). They wash the kitchen floor and chairs with these spray bottles while I do the dishes nearby.

When I’m feeling extra patient, they can do the dishes with me, splashing in one sink while I wash in the other. I also let mine wash windows (with the same vinegar/water mix). They’re always smudgy, whether they wash them or not. I don’t think they’re any worse off for the kids washing

My kids also somewhat help with sweeping, and are great at picking up toys (if only). They too love laundry! Thanks for sharing!

susieshomemade | September 29th, 2008, at 3:33 pm >>

Those are really great tips. I don’t have toddlers anymore but you just gave me some good ideas for my preschooler:-)

Embrace the "Littles" Years | Happy to be at Home | October 8th, 2008, at 9:03 pm >>

[...] workout with the kids, and hopefully you were encouraged to let your kids help you with some household cleaning (while they still think it’s fun!), so to conclude this series, now what? What else do I get [...]

Hesses Madhouse | October 13th, 2008, at 1:07 pm >>

Not only did you give some great ideas, you motivated me–not an easy task. Way to go! I frequently use my children as my excuse why things don’t get done in my home. Not any more thanks to you!

Chrissy | October 13th, 2008, at 1:51 pm >>

I really loved the ideas and tips!

BarbaraLee | October 14th, 2008, at 9:27 am >>

I have always had my kids help. When they could walk is the best time for training. I did use a gate in their bedroom door way when they were crawling so they could see me & we could talk. They usually fell asleep.
But when I did daycare I had all the kids help. They need to learn how to take care of things. If you don’t start when they are young it is harder to teach them.
Raising lazy kids is no fun.

mom2my9 | October 14th, 2008, at 11:51 am >>

You know I loved this post! It’s so true that ti’s all about teaching the kids. Certainly my house wouldn’t pass the white glove test, but the rewards for teaching your kids to work at a young age will pay off later when they get older and you really need their help! Thanks for linking up this week and hope to see you next Monday!