Teaching young children to clean can be a long and tiring process, and the amount of effort it initially takes leaves many parents resigned to cleaning their house without the help of their children. In doing this, you’ll only become ever more frustrated that your children are only creating a mess and they won’t learn any of the useful life lessons that go hand in hand with household cleaning. There are so many reasons that children should help clean the house, but these are the most important ones.
They’re part of the household
Children are part of the household and the family, and they learn to value it a lot more when they’re giving back to the household. They make a mess, eat the food prepared for them, wear clothes that you buy them and make dirty dishes, just like you. The best way they can contribute is to help clean the house.
Life-long skills
Being able to look after themselves is the biggest reason children should learn to clean and tidy from an early age. Home is a great, safe space for children to learn new skills and become confident in their ability to successfully carry them out. We all hear stories about students who don’t know how to use a washing machine, and they rarely ever live it down. If they know how to complete household chores when they’re young, they’ll be well prepared for later life.
Responsibility
Cleaning is a great introduction to responsibility, and it helps children to thrive and mature. If children are left in charge of a task and understand that people are relying on them, they’re far more likely to follow through with their promises later in life. Once again, it’s far better for children to learn this when they’re young, rather than once they’ve reached adulthood.
They learn to appreciate things more
Your children will have far more of an appreciation for everything you do if they understand how much work you put in. By teaching your children that if they dirty a dish, someone has to clean it too, they’ll start to appreciate your work more and see helping with household chores as a way to say thank you. If they clean a floor and then someone with muddy feet walks over it, they’ll feel frustrated, and this will really help them to appreciate the hard work that goes into maintaining the house.
Every child is different so it’s hard to know which household chore is right for each child. Some children will be capable of helping you out a lot earlier than others. This is absolutely fine and natural, so only give them chores they can manage. This keeps it a positive experience, so they’ll be happy to help at a later date.
Now you’ve read why children should help out around the house, read how to get children helping you to clean.
