How to Actively get your Kids Cleaning Up

Trying to clean the house with kids can be exhausting, especially little ones.  Figuring out how to get your kids cleaning up the house with you can also be difficult, but once you do, actually getting the house clean becomes much easier to do.  

We’ve all been there as parents, when a room was cleaned just in time for someone to dump a bunch of blocks onto the floor to build a castle.  Or, we let the kids completely occupy themselves in the living room just so we can get the kitchen clean, which inevitable leads to the living room being a disaster zone.  

It happens. 

Why is it important to get the kids involved?

Aside from helping with your own sanity, getting the kids involved in cleaning the house helps them feel accomplished.  It’s like setting goals and achieving them.  

Also, setting up a plan to follow helps them understand instruction as well as doing things in order.  For example, you don’t mop a floor before sweeping kind of thing.  

We also use things like sorting the silverware to help the kids learn differences between items and how to group items together.  It’s actually very similar to many play-based preschool program’s ‘Math’ section, but instead of blocks by shape or size it’s silverware.  

Getting my kids cleaning up and involved has helped because they actually are able to help me and they get excited to do it (most times at least).  This post contains some affiliate links.

What I do to get the Kids Involved with Cleaning the House

It wasn’t until I started getting my own kids excited about cleaning and involved in it that it started to get easier for me.  It’s not a ‘without fail’ plan, because sometimes kids have off days (heck, we have off days as parents so it makes sense they would as well), but for the most part, getting the kids involved can alleviate some of the struggle.  

These are a few of the things that I do to help my two young kids get involved in helping me clean the house. Even my little 2-year-old gets involved and helps, and he loves it.  

Chore Chart

This is the absolute first thing that most people try to get their kids cleaning up. It was the first thing I tried for my 5-year-old (at the time she was 4). I want to be clear, when I’m saying chore chart for this age, It’s basic stuff.  Making the bed, putting her dishes in the sink when she’s done using them (we’ve recently graduated to having her rinse them off and put in the dishwasher).  

Our chore chart is very basic things to teach the kids to clean up after themselves at age-appropriate times.   We reward with Stickers and try to make it fun for them.  

You can grab my Free Kids Chore Chart to use here!

Getting “Cleaning Supplies” for the Kids

No this does not mean breaking out the chemically involved cleaners for the little ones.  First off, the only cleaner I let my kids even get close to is this one because it is safe for kids and pets.  It’s actually the cleaner I use most around my house, I use it for nearly everything.  

The main thing we have for the kids ‘cleaning supply’ wise is their little cleaning set.  It has a mop, broom and a few other things.  Whenever I sweep, both kids grab their broom and everyone helps, my 2-year-old mostly just sweeps things back and forth but he’s still getting the idea.  The kids are having fun, spending time with me AND I’m actually getting some of the house clean. 

I also got both of the kids their own duster just like I have and whenever it’s dusting day everyone grabs their duster and off all 3 of us go.  

Same goes for vacuuming.  I have 2 vacuums that I use around the house, usually I let my daughter use this one because it’s much easier for her to maneuver while I use this one.   Meanwhile my little guy uses this toy vacuum that actually does vacuum things up! 

Making Fun games to get Kids Cleaning Up

When I’m cleaning the kitchen, my kids usually ask what they can do, I typically give them a squirt bottle of water and a norwex glass cloth to go and clean the finger prints off of our windows and doors.  

They count the windows they clean off (I’m using the term clean loosely here because my 2-year-old tries really hard, but it’s certainly not “clean” by any streak free standard).  The goal is usually to clean the same number of windows as how old they are.  

Another similar thing to the window ‘game’ is wipe off the cupboards or the doors.  The same thing can also be done with folding laundry.  I’m teaching my daughter to fold the laundry, she’s in charge of folding towels, and my 2-year-old is in charge of finding the socks and putting them in a pile.  It keeps him occupied and still actually helps.  

Make it Look Fun

I actually enjoy cleaning to a degree.  So, this one isn’t hard for me.  My kids now see me do my little routine every day and they want to be involved with it now.  

I know this can be hard to do though.  

If you read the post I did here, you know I struggled with getting and keeping a clean house for a very long time.  I still have days where it gets away from me, no one is perfect, but if you act like you dread it, your kids will think that’s how it’s supposed to be and how they need to feel about it too.  

What have you tried to help get your kids involved with cleaning the house?