Tips for Spring Cleaning with Kids!



Its that time of year again~ time to spring clean. That is our main task this week! Its the task that strikes fear into the hearts of most moms (ok...I may be projecting my feelings here). But do it we must and the only way to survive the mountainous task is to find a way to work with kids instead of trying to get away from them! So how do you do that without loosing your mind or loosing your kids in the clutter? Here are a few tips that I have found to be a big help here!

1) Make a Plan: Figure out what you want to do, and assign a task to each day. This will keep your mind clear and focused on what needs to be done each day. Another thing to do is  to take the task for each day and pull out a list of things your kids can do with you or for you to help out. This way, you know who can go where and do what. A plan can save the whole day!

2) Set your Expectations: A good way to go about getting things done is to set your expectations and show then to your little helpers. Think about each task like you would a traditional Montessori Practical Life presentation! What steps do want them to follow? How do you want each thing done? Then show them carefully, and let them try it out! Chances are there is at least one task that your kids can do on their own, and do it while having a bit of fun!

3) It Will Not be Perfect: With little ones helping out, it is always important to remember that it wont be perfect! For example, today, Pup cleaned out a whole cabinet. She was so proud to wipe it all down ( did need to redo a few spots she missed while she was outside) and was so very excited about how she arranged the cups biggest to smallest all in a row. The only problem with that is that she placed the cups right in front of my containers. But I left it because she was proud of her work. I can fix it another day, or even let her figure out that the placement needs to be tweaked. But for now, I am happy she is trying hard and working well! Not having a perfect closet is ok for me with the joy and pride that I saw her face!

4) Take a Break for Fun: Sometimes things are getting rather hard, or maybe you finally hit a good place to stop for a moment for lunch, it is the perfect time to take a break! Read a book, make a snack, have a surprise, or...do what we did and walk down to the ice cream store! :) It give you a moment to breath and to regroup before moving on!

5) Its ok to work alone: At some point, the kids will be done. Its ok. Chances are that they will be more then happy to play while you keep up the pace of the cleaning. Since they know what you are doing, they will have more respect for the work you are trying to do. Which means, they can play and you can work and no one looses their mind!

So this is our plan this week! Clean and school and clean some more! Wish us luck here! By the end of Saturday I hope to have a beautifully cleaned house! Just in time for the warm weather fun that I know it will bring! I hope that my thoughts will be able to help you on get your to do list done! If you have a secret tip, please share it in the comments!