I don’t know about you, but during the school year there are certain rooms that get hammered with junk. We homeschool, so for us, that room is our school room/computer room/storage room. It has a lot of functions. Let me show you the mess that was and the floor that exists afterwards. This is how to clean one room with kids … school break edition.
Exhibit A – The messy multifunction room –
I hope I’m not the only one that has a room like this, but in the event that I am, learn from me. This didn’t happen overnight. It took us from January to May to create this tornado scene. Granted, most of this disaster was caused by my 6-year-old that loves to make drawing after drawing.
My boys stopped using their desks for schoolwork and would complete all of their tasks at the kitchen table. Why didn’t we clean it up before May? That is a great question.
My excuse is that from January to May we had school in the mornings, with every afternoon filled with extracurricular activities. Exhausting? Mighty so.
Why didn’t we clean it on the weekend? Activities. Husband is home, so you know, it’s fun time.
Do you have messy rooms and need or want your children to help with it? Maybe it’s not a school break, but you have just had enough of the clutter.
Gather those kiddos and let’s get to work.
Getting the kiddos involved –
1. At the start of the day, let everyone know about the cleaning task before them. If there is moaning and groaning, give them time. I would’ve groaned at a young age, too.
2. If you would like to, offer a prize/reward of whatever you deem appropriate if everyone pitches in, completes the tasks that mom would like done, and does not complain (you can set a time limit for this one if you would like. It’s hard when cleaning turns into hours).
3. Everyone can have their own bag or there can be one collective bag. You know, for all of the unnecessary trash/trinkets that ended up in there. It happens.
4. Music is a game changer or an audiobook. We turn on their favorite tunes from YouTube or a podcast fairy tale from their favorite podcast, Super Great Kid Stories.
5. If all else fails, then keep humming a tune. Most of the time, once everyone gets in the groove of helping to pick stuff up, they usually enjoy it. Or at least not complain as much.
6. At the end, give praise for the effort. Thank them for their help and whatever was promised may then be received.
How Our Cleaning Ended –
1. I had announced the night before what we would be doing after breakfast. There was a little moaning, but not too much.
2. We had one communal trash bag in the center of the room.
3. All three kiddos cleaned up their desks, put things away where I instructed, and then continued to gather more trash bags for me. We ended up with three very full trash bags.
4. We listened to some Teen Titans Go music on YouTube and a story from Super Great Kids Stories.
5. The kids took a snack break and I got to finish cleaning up what I needed to. Honestly, I would rather do much of the cleaning myself, but I always feel like it is good to involve them.
6. At the end, they took the three trash bags out to the trash for me while I vacuumed.
7. They received thanks and happy praise for doing lots of work and not complaining. This also meant ice cream after dinner. My daughter opted for ice cream with Nutella from her budget friendly birthday party. Win-win.
If you are looking for more ways to reward your kiddos for good behavior, visit my posts about family theme nights and budget friendly activities that could be seen as prizes.
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I know there are better things to do when the kids aren’t in school, but sometimes things just need to get cleaned. No matter. It can still be fun, and the kids might not even remember the cleaning, only the fun time you all had together.
Below are ways to make it even more fun. Who doesn’t love pretending to be a superhero?
Clean like a superhero –
Scribbled paper can become fighter jets (paper airplanes) trying to destroy your cleaning efforts, but crash into the trash bag.
Children can be the pen/pencil testers, testing out one pen or pencil at a time on paper doomed for the trash bag. Helping mom clear the way for better pens (and pencils)!
Old notebook flipper through-er. He or she must discover if the notebook is worth saving. Only the worthy will be able to complete the mission.
Extremely fast superheroes can run books or supplies from one room to the next without so much as being seen.
Cleaning with kids is fun –
It always seems like a chore to involve kids. When we give them a chance, they usually surprise us. Your kiddos will surprise you too. Take this small moment of cleaning up together to soak in the joy of having them around and creating memories together.
Not only do you get this chance to hang out with them, but you also get to help them learn life skills. Learning together is so much fun. Spending time with them (even if it’s just getting junk out of a room) before they leave the nest? Priceless.
Let me know in the comments if you have ideas that work for you when getting your kids involved. I would love to hear about it! Good luck to you, my friend!
