Control the Clutter — Spring Cleaning with Kids

For many families, the thought of spring cleaning with young kids may sound overwhelming. To avoid the chaos and extra work, many parents may opt to clean while children are at school. While this strategy certainly might be easier and faster, there are benefits to teaching your preschooler to participate in spring cleaning. In fact, research shows that involving children as young as three in household chores, like putting away toys or feeding the family pet, can help them develop confidence, be more responsible and develop lifelong resilience skills. 

As Mary Poppins once said, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and snap! The job’s a game.” 

Here are a few ways to make spring cleaning more fun for everyone!

Eight Tips for House Cleaning with Preschoolers

Preschoolers love to help, and they often respond well to small and easy tasks. This is the perfect time to put that developmental stage into action and include them in the shared responsibility of keeping the house clean. Here are a few of our favorite spring cleaning with young children tips: 

1. Keep it Short — Try 15-30 minutes max and take breaks in between. Or try a daily 10-minute quick clean-up session to lock in the habit. 
2. Make it Fun — Play music, put on silly clothes, open doors and windows–whatever you can think of to make cleaning fun.  
3. Create Acknowledgment and Incentives — Preschoolers love acknowledgement so telling them they are doing a great job, or giving them a reward, like a sticker, for every pile they go through can help reinforce a sense of achievement. To create a lasting impact, create a chore chart that includes everyone in the family and give out gold stars or small toys for continued help.
4. Practice Patience — Remember, the goal is not efficiency or perfection but participation and helping your little one build skills. 
5. Do it Together — Having your child clean with you may be more appealing than them working alone, so make spring cleaning and chores a time for connection.
6. Build Confidence — While your little one may not understand any of the tasks right at first –and might make even more of a mess–you can help your child learn and feel good about learning and improving. They will build confidence in the process.
7. Prioritize Safety — Some household cleaning products are more dangerous for kids to handle, especially sprays or bleach-based products. Always prioritize your child’s safety. With the right support, kids can learn what is safe to do on their own and what needs a grown-up. Start with a water spray bottle and advance to traditional cleaning products (or consider natural and non-toxic cleaning products like these). 
8. Reinforce Ownership — Help your child find their own cleaning supplies, towels or fun accessories to use while helping out around the house. Whether it is a small broom or a dinosaur-shaped sponge, giving kids their own tools helps them develop a sense of ownership and personal responsibility. 

“Clever Organization Tips for Busy Families” from Colorado Parent also outlines a few tips for cleaning with your young child. 

Fun Spring Cleaning Clothing Games

A change in seasons is always a great prompt to go through clothes, especially when spring cleaning. Anyone with young children knows that kids often get attached to certain clothing items. To get them engaged in the process (and maybe throw out or donate some items that aren’t wearable or don’t fit, respectively) here are a few games to make out of sorting and organizing clothing. 

• Sorting Game — Pull out all of your child’s clothes and have them help put pants in one pile and shirts in another. Then you can go pile by pile and assess which items still work and which are ready for their next home. You can also have your child help you assess the items and see if some can be donated while others might need to be thrown away. For a more active version of this game, place boxes at the end of the room labeled KEEP, DONATE, TRASH and have your preschooler run back and forth as fast as they can to drop items in the appropriate box. 
• Play Dress Up — Challenge your child to put on as many clothes as they can at one time. Meanwhile, you can sort items while they are distracted. They can laugh and have fun making a crazy outfit. Having your child play dress up is also a great way to see if clothes still fit. 
• Matching Game — This game works perfect for socks, pajama sets and shoes. Dump out all of the items in a category and see how many matches your young child can make from the pile. 

Spring Cleaning: Toy De-Cluttering Tips

Toys and stuffed animals might hold a bit more importance for your little spring cleaners than clothes. Your child may not have played with a set of blocks for months, but suddenly, when you start cleaning, they are obsessed with their “new” discovery. Approach cleaning up and sorting toys with caution and a little humor. 

For a full play room revamp, try “The Ultimate Guide to Declutter Toys: The Meltdown-Free Method You Need to Try Now.” Here are a few highlights: 

• Have your child pick their five or 10 favorite toys or stuffed animals and put them aside. Assure kids those “best buddies” are staying with them at home. 
• Then have your child sort the toys into categories, like animals, puzzles or blocks, etc. so everything is in a similar set. 
• Once items are organized, have your child pick 3-5 items that they don’t play with as much and that they might consider giving to someone else. You could also remind your child that giving away toys makes room for new toys. 
• This is a great time to educate your child on donating items, and how it is a great habit to take old things and help them find a new home with a new family instead of putting them in the trash. 

Promoting Kindness And Generosity Through Spring Cleaning

As we highlight in “How to Introduce Your Children to Volunteer Opportunities and Giving Back,” April is National Volunteer Month and a great opportunity to introduce your child to donating and volunteering. This month, and always, you can help your child understand the importance of letting go of unused items or toys that no longer suit their age, while teaching them the benefits of donating items and what that means for the community and environment. Here are a few phrases to use to help kids grasp the idea:

• “Not all families have as many toys as we do, so it’s a wonderful thing to share some of ours with another child who will love it.”
• “It’s ok to feel sad when you say goodbye to something. Do you want to give this toy one last big hug and say good luck on your next adventure?” 
• “When we share instead of throwing things away, it means there is less trash and that makes the earth happy and clean.”

Learn more about why starting routines of giving back help you declutter and instill a sense of kindness and generosity in your kids in our “Mile High Magic: Denver Holiday Activities Guide for Your Preschooler” blog post. 

Don’t Just Stop at Cleaning: Keep Up With Family-Friendly Activities

We are always looking for new ways to help parents engage young minds, develop stronger bonds and spend quality time together. Believe it or not, cleaning is a great way to do that! 

For more family-friendly activities inside and outside of your home, follow along with our monthly bilingual newsletter, Family Dispatch.