Spring cleaning. Mention it to your spouse or kids, and you may just get groans in response. While enjoying the warmer weather, sunnier days, and growing gardens, few people look forward to buckling down and sprucing up the house.
It’s all just tiresome chores, right?
Actually, spring cleaning is more than just freshening up a home from winter. It helps detoxify the family environment, reduces clutter, and provides a brighter, cleaner atmosphere to enjoy the spring and summer months.
So how do you get the whole family behind the spring cleaning effort? After all, you’ll get more done faster with more hands involved.
Here are a few fun tips on ways to motivate even the most reticent kids to grab a broom or rag and join in:
- Scavenger hunts – Make tracking down expired foods in the pantry or broken items around the house into a game! Which child can find the most items that need to be tossed out or given away? Rack up points, give away prizes, and celebrate their accomplishments!
- Garage sale – Give your kids’ allowance a boost by holding a garage sale with all the old toys, books, or other items they no longer want or use. This will reduce clutter in their rooms and play areas while also giving them a little extra spending money!
- Don’t forget the young’uns – Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right spring cleaning jobs for smaller children. After all, you don’t want them holding valuable vases or climbing high to dust off cabinet tops. But young children want to be involved in family activities as much as anyone else, and they feel left out, it can cause trouble!
- Ask their opinion – When kids get the chance to express themselves, it makes them feel more important and like adults. Ask your kids what kind of containers or cleaning products you should use. Ask them what charities they want to donate old toys to. Let them make their own cleaning schedule—and they’ll be more likely to stick to it!
- Dance the dust away – Few things get people moving like some great music. Turn up the tunes and dance around the house with the kids while wiping down windows, sweeping floors, and cleaning counters. You won’t feel nearly as tired and chores will get done all the faster thanks to the musical energy boost.
Have you had the whole family involved in spring cleaning? What did you do to motivate everyone to help out?