There are plenty of tasks that kids can help with around the house, and these will change as they get older. Whilst it might seem counterproductive to get your children involved, allowing them to help can foster great teamwork values and show them that keeping the house tidy is everyone’s responsibility.
Even if it takes longer to complete a task than if you did it yourself, or they don’t do as good a job of it, try to be patient and make it fun for them. The best outcome is that you make it so fun that kids are asking to help clean up, and take these good manners with them on playdates, helping their friends clean up any toys they’ve been playing with. Research by the University of Minnesota also showed that kids who have chores aged four had better family relationships, academic success, and career success, so the benefits are clearly lifelong.
For younger children, there are obviously limited tasks that you can get them to help with and be safe at the same time. Here, we list a few that could get them started.
Laundry
Children can help here in a few different ways. To start, get them to help sort the clothes into coloured and white piles, ready for the washing machine. Whilst you might want to check this over as you put the laundry in, if you have several children, why not get them to race?
Next, if they’re older, you could give them the responsibility of transferring clothes over to the dryer once the machine is finished, or alternatively hanging the clothes up on the washing line or drying rack. This is a relatively simple task but one that takes time. If they’re too small to reach the washing line, why not lower it so they can reach, and then raise it once they're done, or give them a small stool to stand on?
Get them to help fold the laundry or simply pair socks up when it comes out of the dryer. If you’re a bit uncertain about their folding skills, there are special t-shirt folding boards that they can lay the clothes on and then fold the device sides inwards, resulting in a perfect fold every time.
Cleaning the kitchen
Whilst it’s inadvisable to let children handle chemicals, they can easily help when it comes to cleaning the surfaces with warm water and a cloth. After dinner, get kids to wipe over the table and also the kitchen surfaces, to leave everything clean and shiny. Not only does this help you, it teaches them about food hygiene. If they’re old enough, why not use this as an opportunity to teach them about germs and how they spread? There are plenty of online resources that you can use if a more visual explanation would be better.
Depending on their age, they can also help load the dishwasher, or do the washing up. Make sure that the water isn’t too hot and perhaps remove sharp objects, but even younger children can help clean and dry plastic cups and plates.
Dusting and hoovering
Dusting and hoovering are both tasks that need to be done regularly to keep the house clean and tidy. This task is maybe best for older children, since they’ll need to be able to reach the surfaces and be strong enough to control the hoover safely. Make sure to move any fragile objects off the surfaces and perhaps supervise from a distance until you’re happy that they know what they’re doing.
Hoovering will also be made easier if you have a lightweight hoover. Not only will this be easier for you when you’re using it, it can mean that children don’t struggle either.
To sum up
The main aim here is to get your children to share some responsibility, whilst having fun at the same time. Other tasks that they can easily help you with include washing the car, or making sure that they tidy up their toys or keep their own bedrooms tidy. Hopefully this will foster a sense of tidiness that they maintain throughout their lives, making your life easier in the process.
