By John Voket
Busy parents know how frustrating it can be to keep the house tidy, with kids seeming to dismantle the area you just tidied, and the end of the week often unveiling a domestic disaster area. However, by creating a system where your kids help with chores, you can prevent a bit of that clutter.
That’s where Cynthia Ewer comes in. She is the author of “Cut the Clutter: A Simple Organization Plan for a Clean and Tidy Home,” and blogs at organizedhome.com.
Have your kids help with cleaning tasks, like tackling patio and sliding door tracks. To be sure those doors open smoothly, Ewer says grab a bottle of all-purpose degreaser, a screwdriver and lots of rags.
Show your kids how to spray the tracks generously and let it sit for a few minutes. Then wrap a screwdriver with a rag, and make several careful passes along the track to get out the gunk. Depending on your child’s age, next time, they may do this themselves.
Kit Arbuckle at care.com suggests having your kids help sort the mail. While you don’t want them to toss anything, you could show them how to sort out junk, bills and important papers, and personal mail into piles for your review.
Arbuckle says spring is a logical time to attend to closets and dressers – organizing kids’ toys and school items, and donating things you don’t need or use anymore. Then store winter clothes and accessories in bins or in the back of the closest until fall.
An added plus? As the folks at busykid.com say, having your kids help around the house is not only a valuable way to teach them about taking responsibility, it also burns calories and helps you have a cleaner home faster.
When teaching your kids anything, it’s ideal if you can include more than one lesson at a time. For example, by paying an allowance for doing chores, you also teach them the value of hard work and lessons in money management.
