Teaching Cleaning
I was recently in a conversation with a mom whose son and girlfriend had come home from college for the weekend. Mom was complaining that the girlfriend didn‟t offer to help with any of the chores around the home, like cooking, setting the table or even clearing the table. The girl had even brought her dirty laundry and hadn‟t made any attempts to do it. The mom thought the girl was just lazy and not good enough for her son. I mentioned that perhaps she‟d not been taught HOW to work around the home.
So many parents feel it‟s just easier to do the chore themselves than have their children do it. Perhaps it‟s faster and it will at least get done the way they want it done. But this isn‟t teaching the child basic life skills so they can go forward as adults to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives. These life skills include everyday tasks, like cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.
Some suggestions for introducing children to these tasks are:
1. Make sure the chore is age appropriate. Preschoolers can put away unbreakable dishes and playthings. Older children can clear the table, load the dishwasher and make their beds. Teens and preteens can clean their rooms, help with the laundry, dust, vacuum, and help with the cooking.
2. Make safety a priority. Always provide proper adult supervision. Don‟t allow young children to use any household product that is labeled "Keep Out Of Reach of Children." Always demonstrate proper usage of any electrical appliance – from the microwave to the washing machine. Don‟t assume they‟ve learned how just by watching you. Instruct them in proper ways to „turn off the appliance‟ should something go wrong.
3. Let them choose the medium. For example, there are many way to remove dust from furniture. Would they rather use a microfiber cloth, a dust mitt, dust wipes, or dusting wand?
4. Develop a cleaning schedule. This may be hard in today‟s busy households, but children do better when they know WHAT is expected and WHEN it‟s expected to happen.
5. Tap into your child‟s concern for the environment. Set a good example. Buy cleaning products in bulk, follow label instructions, and dispose of empty containers in environmentally responsible ways.
6. Teach them to read product labels. Show them what can be found on labels: ingredient lists, usage directions, storage requirements, disposal methods, safety information, and toll free numbers to call for help.
We all want to be proud of our children – both when they are in our own home and when they are visiting others. Start giving your children some life skills they can use.