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    Tired of Being the Maid? Try A Family Cleaning Schedule

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    Ever feel more like a maid than a parent? To change your family’s attitude toward cleaning and give yourself a break, try implementing a family cleaning schedule. It is time to get everyone to do their fair share. Additionally, I share 6 useful tips for raising a tidy family. 
    You go from room to room, cleaning up after your kids and making the house look nice, and by the time you’re done they’ve messed it up again. Many parents make the mistake of doing all the household chores themselves, either because they want them done a certain way or because they are tired of battles with the kids. However, this can leave you feeling worn out and unappreciated. What’s worse? It can leave your children with a sense of entitlement. That is why you will love using a handy dandy family cleaning schedule so everyone is on board helping out.
    Family Cleaning Schedule

    A family cleaning schedule is just what you need to make sure everyone pitches in to get the job done. It is a good idea to customize the family cleaning schedule to suit your family. You may be a super tidy mom and feel it is important to do daily cleaning tasks. Or you may be more like me. Everyone pick up after yourself as you go, this includes a daily clean in the kitchen, and everything else can wait till the weekend!
    How To Make A Family Cleaning Schedule
    First, make a list of the cleaning tasks.
    Which cleaning tasks do you consider essential on a daily basis and on a weekly basis? Write them all down.
    Second, assign tasks.
    Then you can assign tasks to suit the age of the family members or you can allow each family member to pick tasks. You set the rules such as each family member will do 5 tasks each week (for example). Have them place their initials by the task when it is complete. First come, first serve for tasks or as assigned.
    Third, set the deadline.
    You set the timeline. Decide whether cleaning items can be done any time throughout the week or if they need to all be done a group clean up time.
    To make things as easy as possible for you, I have included my family cleaning schedule template for you. Here is the weekly cleaning schedule printable pdf.

    You can try out our free printable family cleaning schedule template and make adjustments as needed. Having a checklist cleaning schedule helps make expectations clear as well as providing accountability. I suggest having each family member use their initials by the check mark space so that you can see if anyone is having to carry too much of the cleaning load.
    Tips For Raising A Tidy Family

    Don’t worry about being a perfectionist. Trying to keep things pristine will just stress you out and cause your kids to dread cleanup time. At some point, good enough is good enough. Focus more on establishing habits and positive feelings toward cleaning than on making everything look perfect.
    Make Cleaning Fun
    A huge part of the success of chore time is the attitude you take. First, find a different name for it. “Chore Time” sounds boring and hard; use a more neutral word (like “Cleanup Time”) or create a fun, unique name.  When you break out the family cleaning schedule, play music and stay positive.
    To raise a tidy family, associate cleanup time with cleaning games, music, and fun. Turn on some upbeat music and dance while you put clothes and books away. Strap Swiffer pads onto your children’s feet and let them “skate” around the kitchen to clean the floor. Tell kids that the toys are snakes or sharks and they have to wrestle them back to their spots. The more fun children have, the less whining you’ll hear and the happier everyone will be.
    Use Positive Reinforcement
    No, I am not talking about rewards. I am talking about positive framing and kind words. To ease the transition from nagging your kids to watching them clean on their own, help them recognize the positive feelings associated with cleaning. When you all finish cleaning up, point out how much better the house feels. If you ingrain a sense of happiness associated with a clean space, kids will start to notice and dislike untidiness. Good feelings are a powerful motivator, and eventually most kids will tidy up without being asked.  Notice their tidy habits and praise them for being responsible.
    Keep Chores Short
    Dragging out cleaning time is a sure way to make kids grumpy and resistant. To keep young children happy and get the job done fast, turn cleaning into a competition. Set a timer and see who can pick up the most in 5 minutes. Or challenge younger kids to see who can pick up the most blue items, the most red, the biggest ones, etc. in a certain amount of time. When kids see that they can have fun and quickly move to the next activity, they’ll put up less of a fight.
    Allow older kids to do some cleaning now and some later if they find that helps them to work better. Stress that they can do their items off the family cleaning schedule when they please, as long as they get them done by the deadline you set.
    Work As A Team
    Kids should definitely learn to clean up their own messes and not treat mom or dad as a maid service. But kids aren’t born knowing how to clean! Cheerfully pitch in and clean together as you teach your children how to do things properly. Not only will your kids be learning how to clean better, it will be more fun for them as they get used to the cleaning process. Raising a tidy family is doesn’t happen without you you sometimes showing them how as you clean together.
    Organize And Declutter
    This is one of the most important tips for raising a tidy family: organize and de-clutter!  The fewer items you have to put away, the easier the family cleaning schedule will be to complete. Go through your child’s room with him and get rid of any toys and clothes he hasn’t used in the last 6 months. Establish a habit of going through your kids’ stuff every few months. Make sure everything you keep has a place.
    Teach your kids the “one-in-one-out” rule: every time a toy comes in the house, one goes out. This will keep clutter to a minimum and make the next organizing session much smoother. Plus, kids might think twice about asking for a new toy if they know they’ll have to get rid of one.
    Lead By Example
    Kids learn as much or more by your example than from the things you say. So do your best to be an example of tidiness. Keep your space neat, avoid complaining about cleaning, and pick up after yourself before moving on to the next activity.
    Conclusion
    Attempting all of these strategies at once may be intimidating and frustrating. Instead, incorporate these cleaning tips into your family routine one at a time, and soon cleaning time won’t be such a chore and you will find raising a tidy family very rewarding. Be sure to introduce the family cleaning schedule and customize it to fit your family.  Feel free to share your tips for raising a tidy family in the comments!
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      How To Encourage Responsibility For Kids

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      Teaching kids to be responsible is an important life skill. By introducing the idea that taking responsibility is rewarding, you can reinforce positive behavior and develop a desire to be responsible.  Responsibility for kids is an important thing to tailor to the age of the child.  Responsibilities should be slowly granted so that it does not overwhelm but rather encourages kids to want more.

      Responsibility For Kids
      Encouraging responsibility for kids starts with discussing the concept of responsibility. What does it mean to them? What do they think are some example of responsibility for themselves and for you? It also involves coming up responsibilities that are age appropriate for your children and letting them take ownership of a few tasks.  They should understand that having responsibility is a privilege, not a chore.
      First, what is a good responsibility definition for kids?
      When talking to your kids about responsibility, you should be empowering them to take ownership.  It is the idea that responsibility for something means we are in charge of that.  We have to live up our responsibility by doing what we should do- by doing what is right and needs to be done. Being responsible means that people know they can count on you.
      Give Rewards
      A lot of parents feel that rewarding responsible behavior reinforces the wrong ideas, but the reward is what most of us are after. When we work, we are going after the paycheck. When we cook, we want a good tasting and healthful meal. Our children are no different. So when they do something awesome, acknowledge it and reward it, even if it’s just with frugal rewards such as a hug or a used book.  The idea of rewarding your child when they make responsible decisions, is to teach kids that responsibility is desirable.
      4 Activities That Offer Responsibility For Kids

      Caring for a Pet
      Caring for the family pet can be a great way to teach responsibility. Explain that your pet depends on your child in much the same way that your child depends on you. Not only will your child feel important and grown up, but she or he will also develop a close bond with your family’s pet which is only achieved by caring for that animal.
      Open a Bank Account
      Teaching children how to handle, balance, and save money is one of the best things you can do to teach your child how to be a productive and responsible member of society. Most banks are open to working with parents who would like to open a checking account for a minor, most often as a joint account. Opening a bank account is a great way to teach your child to budget.  Your child will feel in control and will be given the opportunity to learn how to balance and budget.
      Make a Job Board
      Designate an area where you can post extra jobs that need to be done around the house along with the price you are willing to pay for those jobs. Payment for the jobs can be in the form of cash, time spent with your child, giving them their choice for dinner, or any other reward you can think of. Using cash will give your child the opportunity to learn about spending. Using other rewards, such as playing a game at the table after taking the dishes to the kitchen, teaches your child a more immediate lesson about cause and effect.
      Responsibility Chart For Kids
      You may which to make a simple weekly responsibility chart, where they can earn stickers for age appropriate responsibilities.
      Examples include:
      washing their hands before meals
      doing homework
      making their bed
      putting their dishes in the dishwasher
      washing their clothing (or putting it in the hamper)
      walking the dog
      feeding the goldfish
      watering houseplants
      etc.

      Kids naturally want to be responsible as they see it can mean new freedoms. Sometimes they are less eager as they find out it can mean more work or being held accountable. The main thing is to encourage them. Let them know that they won’t always be perfect but trying their best to be responsible is something you admire.
      Try to keep your child’s interests in mind when planning activities or rewards to teach kids responsibility. Make the tasks as fun as possible. Make the rewards something your child will strive for, and your child will do the rest.  What are some of your tips and tricks to teach kids responsibility?
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