Have you ever been in the kitchen washing the dishes and thought to yourself, “I just washed these!” Or perhaps when you are folding the laundry you get a sense of déjà vu? Don’t worry, it’s not just you. Sometimes as parents we get so used to doing everything for our kids, that we forget that they can help too! We can indeed teach kids to clean right along with us.
Right now you’re probably thinking, “I wouldn’t exactly call it “helping”’. Any parent who has let their child sweep the floor or fold the laundry knows this to be true. But the truth is they have to start somewhere, right? If we teach kids to clean early on, they will get better at it over time.
Kids naturally want to help clean and do the things they see their parents doing. Teach kids to clean by giving them age appropriate chores and they can help significantly around the house. This will not only lessen the load for you as the workhorse (I mean parent) but it will also equip your child to do things for themselves in the future. Isn’t that our job as parents anyways—to teach kids to clean on their own so they can learn to care for themselves? Let’s start with chores around the house that even the littlest of helpers can do.
Toddler Stage (Ages 2-3)
We call this the bucket and washcloth phase. Toddlers are great at learning to sort things at this age, so if you have a job with a bin or bucket (like a laundry hamper or a toy box) this is a job a toddler can do! They can put dirty clothes in the laundry hamper & put toys away in a toy box. They also are able to wipe the table clean or wash the handprints off the sliding glass door! If you let them use the squirt bottle you’ll be guaranteed to have an excited toddler.
Pro Tip: Teach kids to clean by singing the clean up song! This is a great way to signal to your child that it is time to clean up!
Pre-k (Ages 4-5)
At this age, kids can do all of the things listed above along with the following. Start the day off with having them make their own bed. They’ll be so proud when they do this by themselves for the first time! Give them praise! At meal time, they can help set and clear the table. They can wash dishes in the sink (maybe start with the less breakable items), as well as help load and unload the dishwasher! If you have a small handheld vacuum, let them vacuum the stairs. If you have a fun feather duster let them dust the book shelf. Easy peasy. Play match the socks and whoever has the most matches wins!
Young elementary (ages 6-8)
Now we’re making some progress. Kids this age can do all of the previously listed tasks as well as the following. Let’s start with laundry. Laundry seems to be the most daunting of chores to keep up with. Imagine if you had some help! If your kids know their colors, then they can sort some laundry! Whites go in one basket, darks go in the other basket. All of a sudden there’s order to the mess. They can even help fold and hang their own clean clothes.
At this age, they should have mastered the art of wiping down surfaces. Teach kids to clean the countertops and sinks or sweep the floors. They know the kitchen well enough now, they can help put away the groceries too.
Related articles:
- How to Create a Cleaning Schedule: Bonus Template Included
- 10 Tips for Keeping a Clean House With Kids
- Where to Get Baby Gear Cleaned
Upper Elementary (ages 9+)
By age nine and up, you’ll have a pretty self sufficient little helper who can do all of the things listed above as well as the following. No more messy bathrooms. Your child is more than able to tidy up and clean their own bathroom now. With all their experience of wiping surfaces and sweeping floors, they’ve graduated to a new level.
Perhaps if you frame it that way to them they will be more excited about it. Mopping and vacuuming can now be added to their resume. They’ve had years of experience sorting their laundry, now they can do the full job of washing and drying. Amazing!! Is your trash overflowing? Your child can assist with taking out the trash now too as well as walking it out to the street.
How to Teach Kids to Clean: Summary
Sometimes part of the struggle in allowing your child to help you, is allowing things to be done in a way that is perhaps not as well as you would have preferred. This is a very real struggle. Parents, if you can give yourself the freedom to breathe and let your children help you, you will not regret it. Even if the windows are still streaky, the dishes are not loaded properly, or the laundry is folded haphazardly, it did not have to be done by you and that is what matters!
After you successfully teach kids to clean, you may suddenly find yourself with spare time to read that book that has been collecting dust on your nightstand, or to start your own creative project that’s been shelved for years. Good luck and happy (not) cleaning!
Juliana is a BabyQuip Quality Provider in Truckee, CA. and is excited to provide quality service to families visiting Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas! Pack light and rent all the baby’s necessities and more while you travel. She is a homeschooling mother of 3 and enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and coffee!
Great article!! When kids know they are being helpful it also builds their self esteem. Now if I can just get the clean up song out of my head!
Good tips. We love the clean up song for younger ones.
I literally just brought up chores and allowances with my 3 year old. I think he kind of understood what I was saying?? We’ll see if he catches on!
omg i need to do teach my kids so bad. i feel like cleaning is never ending.
It’s a struggle for us all. Cleaning is never ending.
My 4 yr old (almost 5) started by putting the silverware away from the dishwasher when he was 3. He even vacuums the house for me just because he wants to. He offered to do wash the dishes (all on his own) after dinner the other night AND put them in the dishwasher…I almost cried! Amazing little helpers! And yes, any reason to use a spray bottle and he is on it!
Aw what a sweet little helper!
I love that this is broken down by age. It makes me feel better that my 3 year old isn’t doing more!
We all have that one freaking friend who’s house always looks amazing. I wonder if it’s because she taught her kids to clean? hmmmmm?
No shaming, but I literally just taught my 10 year old how to make his own bed. I guess I thought it was obvious how to do it but he seriously couldn’t figure it out on his own lol!
Homework for tonight!!! Make my kids read this blog. HAHAHAHAH!
Thank you so much for always putting out such useful information. I appreciate you trying to make things easier for paretns. Kids are hard work!
Love this list. Thx
I feel like I’m good about making my kids clean one week and then next I just do everything myself. It takes a fraction of the time to do it myself but I know they need to learn too.
Me too! I definitely struggle with staying consistent.
USEFUL
I read your cleaning schedule blog and was overwhelmed by it until I saw this one!!! I can make my kids to half of that stuff. :)
Yay! Don’t be overwhelmed. Mamas need help too. Teach your kids to clean right along with you and the load will get lighter. Best of luck!
Now that we are all home more, I’ve implemented more cleaning chores for my three kiddos, ages 8, 3, and 1. It’s made life more manageable, and we’ve even found some chores that each kiddo likes doing! :)