Fun Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Spring Cleaning (and Why It's Good for Them)

Spring cleaning for kids

The sun is shining, the birds are chattering, your energy is returning—it can only mean one thing: Springtime is here.

The turn of this season brings a welcome jolt of life after a long winter, and everyone from bird to toddler can feel its influence. As you throw the windows open, you might be feeling the annual urge known as Spring cleaning. But if you have little children around, pause a moment before grabbing the mop and dust rags.

“As far back as Dr. Montessori's method, cleaning activities have been recommended for children as part of their practical life training,” says Sharon Sarles, Director and Owner of Organizational Strategies. “Care of the environment and keeping things in order is pleasing to the child and necessary for the adult.”

Some may believe toddlers are too young to be anything but a nuisance when it comes to household chores. But putting a dustpan into those cute little hands can be worth the extra time they add to your cleaning routine.

“Preschoolers are more than capable of age-appropriate household cleaning activities,” says Jann Fujimoto, MS CCC-SLP and owner of SpeechWorks LLC. “This begins to impress the idea that everyone is able to take care of the classroom and home in their own way.”

Starting a cleaning habit young can teach children to embrace chores as a normal (and even rewarding) part of life. But, as with most things parents and teachers do with toddlers, implementing cleaning habits isn’t always easy.

To help motivate you, we asked experts in psychology and early childhood education to weigh in on why now is the best time to teach your preschoolers to clean, along with their advice on how to get them started.

5 reasons to start your kiddos cleaning early

“Children don't mind small cleaning tasks,” explains Dr. Jennifer Guttman, PsyD Clinical Psychologist. Guttman explains that any task imbued with a fun element (such as a song or silly game) that also comes with verbal reinforcement will be fun for kids. “Children of all ages respond to a positive feedback loop regardless of how small or meaningless the task may seem to be.”

Here are some other perks:

1. Cleaning develops self-confidence

“Cleaning activities give parents an opportunity to praise their children for genuinely assisting in the completion of a job instead of empty praise connected to little effort,” Guttman says. As the parent or teacher, you get the chance to praise kids for helping out in a way that challenged their abilities instead of praising them for simply standing still while you zipped their coats.

This results in a strong psychological benefit of developing children’s self-esteem and belief in their own abilities, according to Guttman.

2. Chores develop fine motor skills

This depends somewhat on the chores involved, according to licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Stephanie J. Wong, but cleaning can help children practice their fine motor and memory skills. “For example, children who learn to put dishes away can learn shapes, sizes and the regular places of these items. As they build strength, they can begin putting away larger dishes (with two hands).”

3. Learning to clean helps children adapt socially

As adults, we know that our behavior affects those around us—we know that leaving spilled coffee on the floor at work will inconvenience everyone who has to step around it until someone else cleans up our mess. But for children, this awareness can be pretty far off the radar. Drawing their attention to cleaning up after themselves (or after others) can help widen their perspective.

“Clean up time can teach children family responsibility as well as self-motivation,” Guttman says. “Children learn at a young age how to develop reciprocal relationships with others.” She adds that family expectations about cleaning up have been shown to have a positive psychological impact on future relationships children will have with family and friends.

4. Early cleaning habits are linked to better academic and career success

Guttman cites a 2002 University of Minnesota study by Marty Rossman to illustrate that early chores are positively linked to success later in life. “[The study] found that young adults who began chores as toddlers had better relationships with family and friends, achieved more academically and experienced earlier career success as well as reported a higher sense of self-sufficiency, as compared to those toddlers who didn’t have chores.”

5. Cleaning at an early age teaches children that it’s a part of life

Wong recommends teaching young children to clean because “it begins to teach children the importance of helping others and assuming some sense of responsibility.” If chores are implemented early in life, children are more likely to see them as normal and necessary. “Children will begin to view chores as a part of a routine, instead of tedious or punitive tasks,” she says.

Now that you know the importance of teaching young children to do chores, you may be wondering, “How do I put this into action?” Keep reading for a few ideas to motivate kids to understand the importance of helping out.

7 ways to start chores now

1. Use a cleanup song

Take a page from the preschool handbook and use a song to initiate the cleaning process. “Songs and rituals are good to implement cleanup activities to both make cleanup a more fun activity and to ‘cue’ the brain that it's time to change course and transition from play-time to cleanup time,” Guttman explains.

If your toddlers are extra squirrelly, a song can help focus and ground them. “Sometimes children who have a hard time focusing do better when they're doing two things at once, like singing the ‘cleanup’ song while completing one-step cleanup tasks,” Fujimoto says, adding that children might need verbal, visual or tactile cues at the beginning to associate the song to their activity.

Any routine in this pattern will amplify its impact. “For instance, a pet could be fed just before dinnertime or toys can be picked up before bedtime,” Fujimoto suggests.

2. Ensure the chores are age-appropriate

Assigning a task that will be too physically or mentally difficult for a child will quickly lead to discouragement. For toddlers, our experts recommend the following tasks:

  • Putting away plastic-ware
  • Placing folded clothes in their drawers
  • Organizing shoes
  • Putting toys back in bins
  • Putting books on a shelf
  • Raking leaves
  • Watering plants
  • Feeding a pet
  • Wiping the table

3. Start with one-step commands

Don’t just guide your toddler into a room and ask them to clean. Guttman recommends starting small and building one-step tasks on top of each other as the child grows more accustomed to the work. “Make sure cleanup time that involves the toddler doesn't last more than 5 minutes—a short time for an adult, but an eternity for a child.”

After each completed step, be sure to give positive reinforcement to pass on a sense of accomplishment and a job well done, Guttman adds.

4. Focus on the successes

Speaking of positive reinforcement, make the chores fun by focusing on what your child is learning and doing well. “Always make sure that you pay attention to the positive behaviors your child is doing during cleanup time, not just the moments when they get distracted or lose momentum,” Guttman says.

5. Prepare the task ahead of time

While it would certainly be easier for you to put a duster in their hands and turn them loose in the living room, when children are very small, they might need some additional direction. “For instance, as a three-year-old is learning to sweep, colored bits of paper large enough to pick up with fingers may be used because they are more easily seen than are bits of dirt and dust,” Sarles explains. “This preparation helps the child learn the task.”

While it might seem counter-productive to make extra messes, these adjustments will pay off later as the child learns what completing the chore really means.

6. Don’t give in and do it yourself

“A calm insistence of this as part of life should be consistent,” Sarles says. Even though there may be some give and take with toddlers in their day-to-day tasks, it’s better to insist on completion and assist the child (e.g., “Let's put the toys away and then we can go outside”), than to scold your toddler and do the chore yourself.

Additionally, Fujimoto warns against “fixing” the chore after your child has completed it. “A child may not make a bed like you would, but don't go back and re-do the chore. Doing so can take away from a child's sense of accomplishment.”

7. Make sure you are also having fun

You probably don’t need to be told how observant young children are. If they see you complaining about cleanup or dreading chores, the message will sink in. “While chores are not many people's form of enjoyment, demonstrating some sense of enthusiasm in engaging in the task may motivate your toddler to join in,” Wong says.

Doing the task with you also creates a bonding experience for the child, according to Guttman. This is another type of positive reinforcement they will come to connect with chores.

Little life lessons

As you can see, the Spring cleaning fever is an excellent development opportunity for your young ones. Cleaning helps kids with so many aspects of life that it really is worth building into their daily routines.

At the early childhood age, development has just as much to do with little hands and feet as it does with little minds. Parents and teachers who understand how their little ones grow through each stage are better equipped to be supportive.

To get a better idea of how children grow and how you can assist them, check out our article, Experts Explain How to Support Kids Through the Stages of Child Development.

RELATED ARTICLES:

About the author

Brianna Flavin

Brianna is a senior content manager who writes student-focused articles for Rasmussen University. She holds an MFA in poetry and worked as an English Professor before diving into the world of online content. 

Related Content

Related Content

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

logo-accreditation-acen logo-accreditation-ccne chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors-masters 0 Credits 90 Credits 180 Credits 48 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE Start Here MASTER'S DEGREE PURSUERS End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE End Here MASTER'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors 0 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS 90 Credits Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE 180 Credits End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-msn chart-credential-laddering-nursing-programs chart-credential-laddering-nursing DNP MSN RN to BSN LPN to RN Bridge Accelerated BSN Professional Nursing ADN Practical Nursing Diploma Pre-Licensure Post-Licensure icon-colored-outline-bank icon-colored-outline-certificate icon-colored-outline-circle-dollar-sign icon-colored-outline-folder-search icon-colored-outline-hand-heart icon-colored-outline-head-blocks icon-colored-outline-head-cog icon-colored-outline-head-heart icon-colored-outline-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-outline-hospital icon-colored-outline-lifelong-learning icon-colored-outline-light-bulb-analytics icon-colored-outline-location-pin icon-colored-outline-magnifying-glass icon-colored-outline-monitor-healthcare icon-colored-outline-monitor-paper-search icon-colored-outline-nurse-rays icon-colored-outline-padlock-shield icon-colored-outline-person-presenter-screen icon-colored-outline-scales ras-logo-flame ras-logo-horizontal ras-logo-stacked icon-colored-advance icon-colored-arrows-cross-curve icon-colored-briefcase-star icon-colored-build icon-colored-bulb-analytics icon-colored-certificate icon-colored-continual-development icon-colored-duo-chatbox icon-colored-folder-mortarboard icon-colored-forward-ribbon icon-colored-gears-clock icon-colored-globe-pen icon-colored-growth icon-colored-hand-bubble icon-colored-hand-stars icon-colored-hands-gear icon-colored-head-blocks icon-colored-head-cog icon-colored-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-hospital-building icon-colored-laptop-cbe-skyscraper icon-colored-laptop-checkmark icon-colored-laptop-webpage icon-colored-location-map icon-colored-location-pin icon-colored-monitor-paper-scan icon-colored-mortarboard-dollar icon-colored-national icon-colored-people-chat-bubbles icon-colored-person-cheer-star icon-colored-person-laptop-checkboxes icon-colored-person-screen-instructor icon-colored-person-whiteboard icon-colored-phone-chatbox icon-colored-police-light icon-colored-prep icon-colored-presenter icon-colored-regional icon-colored-save-time icon-colored-shirt-hat icon-colored-skyscraper icon-colored-state icon-colored-student-centered icon-colored-support icon-colored-world-experience icon-triangle-arrow-up-plant icon-triangle-calendar-pencil icon-triangle-clock-rotating-arrows icon-triangle-display-gears icon-triangle-hand-right-speech-bubble icon-triangle-laptop-coding-brackets icon-triangle-mortarboard icon-triangle-paper-ribbon icon-triangle-person-cheer-star icon-triangle-person-juggle icon-triangle-triple-people-chat-bubble icon-modality-campus icon-modality-field icon-modality-online icon-modality-residential icon-arrow icon-bank icon-camera icon-filter icon-general-chart icon-general-connect icon-general-degree icon-general-discuss icon-general-email icon-general-find icon-general-hat icon-general-heart icon-general-laptop-building icon-general-laptop icon-general-leader icon-general-map icon-general-money icon-general-paperwork icon-general-people icon-general-phone icon-general-speak-out icon-head-heart icon-info-circle icon-mail-forward icon-mglass icon-play-solid icon-quote-mark-left icon-quote-mark-right icon-scales icon-share-square-o icon-simple-chat icon-simple-desktop icon-simple-find icon-simple-hamburger icon-simple-phone icon-spinner icon-tag icon-testimonial-quotes icon-util-checkbox-white icon-util-checkbox icon-util-checked-white icon-util-checked icon-util-chevron-down icon-util-chevron-left icon-util-chevron-right icon-util-chevron-up icon-util-circle-arrow-down icon-util-circle-dot icon-util-language-switch icon-util-loading icon-util-open-window-link icon-util-pdf-link icon-util-refresh icon-util-x rebrand-arrows icon-social-facebook-colored icon-social-facebook-square-colored icon-social-facebook-square icon-social-facebook icon-social-google-plus-square icon-social-google-plus icon-social-instagram-colored icon-social-instagram icon-social-linkedin-square-colored icon-social-linkedin-square icon-social-linkedin icon-social-pinterest-p-colored icon-social-pinterest-p icon-social-twitter-colored icon-social-twitter-square icon-social-twitter icon-social-youtube-play-colored icon-social-youtube-play graduate-cap-star-coin hand-coin hand-heart nurse-stethoscope-rays card-send-smile person-yoga-pose suitcase-star