Yes, children and messes go hand in hand. Same goes to my kids. But one of the ways you can raise good kids is to teach them responsibility, the first and simplest being to have them clean up after themselves. Me,
not always hihi and hubby always make sure the kids clean up the playroom after they play and before we leave the house and we need to be consistent about cleanup rules and not to give in to the inevitable whining or tears...nampak cam kejam je tapi lama-lama jadi habit...my hubby yang lagi strict pada i..hahaha! sometimes i just said "biar jelah...nanti balik we cleanup" hubby said " no! no! no! cleanup first before we leave! "yes sir!" It took sometimes actually to dicipline them...especially the boy, amsyar...not easy job too!
before
Here are some of the Cleanup Tips:
- Make cleanup fun. Lessons about responsibility shouldn't be a drag—they should be fun! So whenever possible, turn cleanups into a game. It's not about you telling them what to do, it's more about cooperation.
- Set a timer. See if your kid can get the most toys put away by the time the bell dings. If you have two or more kids, even better! Their sense of competition will kick in almost automatically. Whoever finishes first can get a small reward!
- Customize their storage boxes. Whatever containers hold your children's toy, see if you can get them to decorate it with pictures of what's supposed to go inside. This will give them a sense of ownership and pride, and they'll be more apt to maintain them.
What do children learn by doing chores?
Children learn a lot by doing chores. They learn responsibly, and the value of doing monotonous work. This sets them up for adult life, and helps them cope with the stresses of juggling a career and household chores.
Children who do not do household chores generally have a much more difficult time adjusting to life when they leave home and start university or working. These children are too used to having a mother and father do everything for them, and they do not progress when it comes to secular life.
Children who do household chores will generally have a much cleaner home than children who do not do household chores when they are young. These children will know the value of having a clean house as opposed to a dirty house. Children will then have to brush up on their cleaning skills, and also learn to cope with doing housework.
Housework teaches children many things. They learn to cope with a task that is not very pleasant, and this gets them success in their career lives and also academic life. Housework can be compared to striving for excellence. A child who is taught to do clean and tidy work will one day strive for excellence in any field than a child who is not patient and just does things to suit him or herself.
Housework also teaches children the value of doing things for themselves, and not relying on others likes servants or maids for help. This is very true as many young children today get spoilt and are all too used to getting the help to do the little chores that they can do for themselves. Children also learn to clean up after themselves and this is in no way a bad thing but a very good thing.
Housework teaches children how to be responsible. Responsibility cannot be stressed enough. Children need to be able to juggle doing schoolwork and housework. This actually teaches them how to multi task, and multi tasking is a very valuable skill which is still used in many organizations today.
Housework is not for the lazy, and children learn to train their minds to do the work even when they just do not want to complete a monotonous task. This is all too real, especially with the children nowadays who constantly want some kind of stimulation. Children should be able to do housework. It is for their own benefit in the long run.
after
The challenge is to have your kids clean up after themselves, all day, no matter what! Remember to make cleanup for fun for them so they actually look forward to it!
Happy Cleaning! (To your child, not you!)
