You may have managed to keep your home clean and organized before having your children, but once children become part of the family it’s a different story. Although children bring a lot of joy, they also cause damage to furniture and can very easily make your home look like a mess very quickly.
During the school year they might manage to keep their rooms clean and organized, but during the long summer vacations quite the opposite can be true. Their rooms can become very untidy and disorganized as they spend more time hanging out in them and creating all kinds of mess.
If you need to get your children organized for the new school year, then a good place to start is by getting the house back into shape again.
Here are some ideas to get your children involved in the process and straighten up your home at the same time:
1. Start with basic cleaning
This has to be the first step and you can get your children involved easily by asking them to help you with some of the easier cleaning tasks. They can help clean furniture and help bring blankets and bedclothes to be laundered. Getting them in the mood for cleaning is half the battle, so try and make it fun. You can even make a game out of it so they they’ll wan to help with other cleaning activities too. Children can have a great time shampooing upholstery and carpets or rugs. Cleaning the floor and windows is also easy for them to do.
2. Rearrange your furniture
This can give your home an instant new look and make children excited by the change. You can make a point of asking them for their advice about where to locate the TV or the best place to hang a picture. This will keep them involved and make them feel important.
3. Replace old lamps
Old lamps can become dull after a while, so installing some new lamps is an excellent idea to brighten things up at home. A new lamp in your child’s room will make them feel livelier and will also make it easier for them to concentrate when doing their school work later.
4. Reorganize pictures and photos
After dusting them and making them spotlessly clean, with your children you can decide where to put each one. Children can have a lot of fun arranging family photos in a new way and can also enjoy talking about the people in photos and family pictures.
Reiterating the importance of cleanliness and order for your children doesn’t have to be something boring fro them to listen to. Try to show them by example why it’s better to be clean and organized and they will surely follow your example. They may even become more responsible for cleaning their own rooms on a regular basis.
Cleaning and rearranging your home not only gives it a fresh, new look, but it can also help get the whole family into a new routine ready for the approaching school year.
Posted by Paula Wein
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