7 Effective and Simple Ways to Teach Your Child to Love Cleaning

Teaching children life skills at a young age is a difficult task, but the earlier you begin, the better. It is recommended that kids learn to clean at 9 or 10 months. Giving your little pumpkin tasks that are appropriate for their age will help them develop positive habits and prepare them for adulthood.

At Bright Side, we have summarized the most useful tips to get your child used to cleaning and helping around the house in a stress-free and enjoyable atmosphere.

1. Cleaning should not be a punishment.

How many times have we all found ourselves in a situation where cleansing has been presented to us as a punishment? But rest assured that this method will not help you if you really want your child to clean.

The best solution is to teach your child that cleaning is not a punishment or a chore, but something new and interesting. For example, you can start a tradition with your child and make cleaning a speed contest to get their interest.

You can choose a nice hourglass or a colorful stopwatch to add a competitive element to your cleaning.

Such an hourglass is not only beautiful, but also useful. With them, the child feels the passing of time and can understand that cleaning is not a long and tiring task, but fast and fun.

Promising review: We used these for the children so that they could visually see how much time they had for their activities to help manage expectations. @Leanne Bullock

You can get the hourglass on Amazon now.

With a stopwatch, you can introduce a playful moment and clean up with your child who is the fastest. Such a game will keep the child busy and make cleaning up a fun activity.

Promising review: I got it for a 10-year-old so that he could check in while playing outside with his friends on time. It goes around his neck, so it doesn’t interfere with his activities. He knows how to work it better than I do. @Amazon Customer

You can get the stopwatch on Amazon now.

2. Encourage your child’s progress.

When cleaning becomes a game and takes on a competitive nature, everyone wants a reward for winning. This is where you can create small incentives so that your child feels the joy of victory and has a real chance to win something. If you don’t want chores to feel like a real job with a salary, bonuses, and taxes, consider a puzzle toy box with fun and unique little rewards.

The plush toy set contains 32 unique toy animals. Your child can hang these mini animals on their keys, pencil case, or backpack.

Promising review: I ordered these for my class as an end of year gift to tie onto their book bags. The toys looked cute, with vibrant colors and good quality. There was a good selection of different animals for the children to choose from. They were very happy with them. @KAL5

You can get the plush toy set on Amazon now.

This box is filled with a variety of unique toys that both boys and girls will love. They are made of high-quality materials and guarantee endless fun.

Promising review: My kids have loved this so much that they can’t wait to get their next prize! @Stacey Tallon

You can get the lucky dip box on Amazon now.

3. Give kids bite-sized cleaning tasks.

If your child’s motivation to clean wanes after seeing the extent of the mess, try breaking it down into small tasks and starting from a young age. Cleaning up will be much faster and more effective, leading to encouraging chores.

In order for your child to feel how important their help is, you should buy them smaller tools to help them clean. The process will be much more pleasant, interesting, and safe than if they use the tools of an adult.

This clean-up kit for kids is a must-have if you want your little ones to help you! The set contains everything needed for a complete cleanup. The colorful and interesting design will attract your child’s attention, and the right size will keep your child safe while they help you.

Promising review: I bought this for my niece. She’s 2 years old. She absolutely loves it. It has kept her busy for hours. The little hand-held hoover that operates with batteries is brilliant! The size is perfect; it’s very sturdy and nice and easy to store away as it’s not too big. Excellent value for the money. @Tam

You can get the clean-up kit for kids on Amazon now.

4. Create a cleaning schedule.

Provide your children with an interactive experience! To do this, create a plan, map, schedule, or chart of accomplishments. Letting your children help create a clean-up plan or map will help them identify future tasks. Creating a schedule, on the other hand, instills a sense of responsibility and teaches your children to complete tasks on time.

This magnetic calendar is good for teaching children good habits. It helps them to clearly see their tasks for the day, week, or month.

Promising review: It’s nice and easy to use, wipes clean easily, and is big enough to write everything I need. It looks smart on the fridge and is nice and clear to read and write. @Stephanie

You can get the calendar on Amazon now.

In addition to the calendar, you can purchase a motivation chart for your child that includes a customizable calendar with weekly assignments. Give your child the extra motivation they need to feed their pet or brush their teeth before bed, and track their progress by giving them a star for each action.

Promising review: I have a 21-month-old daughter who absolutely loves chores and completing tasks. I had planned to manually make a chart of responsibilities for her as a way to encourage and develop a sense of responsibility and pride, but I’m so glad I didn’t because this one is so cute and easy to use! The velcro isn’t too rough, which is great for little fingers. The images on the chores and rewards labels are adorable and perfect for little ones to understand! She’ll check it throughout the day and remind herself what she’s earning by shouting it loudly and running around, lol! I wish this company sold more activity and/or visual products for toddlers and children because I would gladly purchase them! Major thumbs up to the quality, price, and usefulness! @Justina

You can get the motivation chart on Amazon now.

5. Teach your kids new skills while cleaning.

Learning something new while cleaning is a great idea to increase motivation, especially if your child enjoys learning something they can do on their own. This can be very encouraging if you keep finding new tasks that he or she is big enough to do.

There are a lot of small tasks that you can discover while cleaning. It would be exciting to teach your child how to hammer a nail or fold clothes properly and evenly.

This workbench is the perfect choice to expand your child’s skills. With the variety of tools included, it will spark your child’s imagination. In addition, this workbench will greatly enhance the development of motor skills and coordination.

Promising review: Our grandson got this from us for his second birthday. He absolutely loves it. It’s great for his small fingers to work out how to use his screwdriver, etc. As he has turned 3, he has started to realize the whole workbench can be taken apart with the tools he’s got! It’s kept him occupied for ages, just loves it so much. Worth every penny! @Esselldee

You can get the workbench on Amazon now.

This multifunctional folding tool will come in handy when teaching your child how to fold clothes. It can fold trousers, T-shirts, shirts, towels and thick clothes. In just 3 steps, a garment is folded, optimizing and organizing the space.

Promising review: If you don’t know how to fold clothes, this is for you. It makes it so easy to fold shirts and T-shirts the same way you find them at stores! The product comes in a box in a plastic bag. The folder itself can be folded for easier storage. Its hinges are adjustable, so you can fold thick clothes like pants. However, I didn’t find a need to change it. I tried folding a pair of pants with it, and it folded them just fine. I’ve tried folding a T-shirt, and it only took 3 steps to fold it nicely and tidily. This is just awesome! It has everything I need to fold my clothes nicely. I definitely recommend this to anyone who doesn’t know how to fold. @Yohanna

You can get the folding tool on Amazon now.

6. Try finding what your child loves to do.

Not every task is suitable for everyone. If you have difficulty encouraging your children to clean up, try giving them other tasks in which they are more interested. Some children would prefer gardening or caring for pets to regular house cleaning. A gardening tool kit for kids or a pet care hammock would come in handy in this situation!

This playful garden tool set will keep your little ones busy for hours. This is a great way to interact with your child and show them the importance of protecting the environment. It includes a sturdy and durable wheelbarrow that can hold all of your child’s tools!

Promising review: I bought this as a gift for my grandson. He absolutely loves it! There is so much to interest him, and I can’t wait to get in the garden with him. It’s delightful to see his face as he’s pulling his trolley around looking busy! @Mrs D Worboys

You can get the garden tool set on Amazon now.

This pet hammock will help your pet calm down while being pet by a child and will also prevent the animal from hurting them. In addition, with this product, you can save a lot of time by not having to bother your pets, so the process will be less stressful for them as well.

Promising review: It works brilliantly. Pop ’em in, and they will become like jelly... You can move their feet around all you want. @MR M.

You can get the pet hammock on Amazon now.

This pet hair remover is great for brushing pet hair out of carpets, sofas, and cars. Maybe your child will find brushing out the hair satisfying or calming, who knows? Thanks to the smart design, you can have 4 different brushes in one with this device. The fur remover could be used for one of your child’s little chores!

Promising review: It’s perfect for getting pet fur on the car boot carpet. Also used on armchair fabrics— even button-cushioned chairs. Vacuuming has little effect on fine pet hair, but this thing is fantastic! @Amazon Customer

You can get the pet hair remover on Amazon now.

7. Create a fun working atmosphere.

Work atmosphere plays a big role in promoting tasks. A tense cleaning environment will certainly destroy any motivation you or your child may have. On the other hand, if you add music to your work hours, the mood of the whole family will be lifted. This way, work will go faster and both parents and children will get a boost of energy.

This speaker not only has a great design, but also many kid-friendly features. It supports Alexa, which will help you answer any questions your child brings up. With the speaker, you also get audiobooks for kids, interactive games, and educational skills.

Promising review: Great product, and my 4-year-old niece now has her own playlist! Easy to use and set up and no problems with a 4-year-old making good use of nursery rhymes to go to sleep and absolute tunes for dancing. As ever, the item was despatched quickly and well packaged. Great sound and entertainment value all around! @Claire J.

You can get the speaker on Amazon now.

Another great idea for entertaining your child could be the Pixel Art speaker. With this compact speaker in an elegant design, your child can listen to music not only while cleaning, but also anywhere he/she wants. Your child can choose the pixel art from the available options or create their own unique art.

Promising review: I bought this for my teenage son. It’s a fantastic gift. He really loved it. The sound is really good and there are so many fun graphics to choose from. Definitely worth the money and lots of fun. @lindsay gardiner

You can get the speaker on Amazon now.

What does your child like to do around the house? What has helped you get your child used to cleaning?

Bright Side gets commissions for purchases made through the links in this post.