This is certainly not an original thought, but it has been one of the biggest helps for us over the past year in regards to keeping up with everything. Having kids help around the house. We are slowly developing an organized strategy for having the kids pick up and clean the house on a regular basis. Even at 6, 4, and 2 they are able to do a remarkable amount of work to keep the house from devolving into a complete disaster.
Currently the oldest two are responsible for cleaning each of their rooms, the living room, dining room, hall, and den. They can also clear the kitchen table, and straighten the bathrooms. They don't do a lot of actual cleaning, but really they are able to neaten the vast majority of the house with minimal supervision.
It has taken a while to get to this point, and not every day works well, but I am often able to do the dishes and with some occasional prodding they can be done by the time I am. I am trying to teach them responsibility as well as more practical strategies for tackling tough projects. My four year old is having trouble getting overwhelmed by her room sometimes. I am trying to help her break the task into more approachable pieces. Like putting away all the stuffed animals first and then all the blankets. I've also tried telling her to push everything into a big pile and then pick up two things and just focus on putting them away and repeating until the pile is gone. It's still a work in progress though. I've found just being in there helps her be more focused too. I guess if makes her feel less alone.
It is hard to take the time in the moment to teach them to do better. It can be frustrating and it takes a lot longer to walk them through a task than just doing it myself, but it sooo pays off.
What tasks have you taught your kids to do? Do you feel it helps things go more smoothly?
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