Getting Children to Clean

Our parents taught us how to clean house while we were very young. I suppose that Mom and Dad figured out that a house composed of four kids, two parents, one grandparent, two dogs, and sometimes a cat could be organized and cleaned more effectively if everyone cleaned it. I now know that Mom and Dad knew that they had to teach us to clean, since we'd have our own homes one day and we'd need to know how to do it. As I recall, Mom showed us how to complete a task, and then helped us the first time, and then we were on our own. Her critiques and praise of our efforts were incentive to do it correctly.

I distinctly remember us having a chore chart to help organize and schedule chores. Mom fashioned a fabric chart; it hung from a door in the kitchen and had a pocket for each household member. At the beginning of each day we'd find Popsicle sticks inside of our pocket with a chore written on the stick. It seems that I spent nearly every day in the basement laundry room, folding towels, sorting socks, and ironing Dad's dress shirts. Somehow, my sister usually had to vacuum the carpeted stairs and foyer. I'm not quite sure, but perhaps Mom saw that my talent lay in folding laundry, while Sandy's forte was vacuuming. Whatever the reasons for Mom's chore assignments, to this very day I love to fold laundry—especially towels.

If you have children in your home, and you want them to clean, follow these guidelines for getting them to clean effectively, without a fight:

• Teach. Teach your child to clean. We all learn by example. If you want your child to clean, you must teach him. When it's time to clean his room, go with him and do it together, and show him how it's done.
• Games. Make a game of it. Children, especially the very young, are easily distracted from the task at hand. If you make a game of cleaning, then you're more apt to get the room cleaned. Have him count each toy he puts away and each garment he puts into the hamper. If you or a sibling are helping, the person who puts away the most things may win a prize.
• Rewards. When the job is done, reward your child. If your child is very young, the reward can be something as simple as watching a favorite TV program. If your child is older, the reward could be a trip to the mall. Reward your child with age-appropriate rewards based upon how well they cleaned.
• Schedule cleaning. Make a chore chart and schedule chores. Your child will be more apt to participate if they understand that chores are fairly assigned, at definite intervals. It's not fair to tell a child when they come home from school, "Go clean the bathroom." Instead, if there is a chore chart, your child will know a few days ahead of time that the chore is his to complete on that day.

Be consistent if you use a rewards or consequences system. If you ask you child to clean his room and he does a superior job, make sure that the reward is significant. On the other hand, if your child's cleaning job is poor, or he refuses to complete the chore, follow through with a consequence.