A gray rainy day meant we spent more time inside today than outside. There were some things that needed to be done so we got a start with the spring cleaning. Do you include your kids with chores around the house? Having kids help with with tasks where appropriate also helps them learn responsibility, pride in what they do, and other skills for life and kindergarten readiness. For kids, this ‘work’ can be as much fun as play!
Kids have fun getting things and themselves messy and dirty and they also have fun cleaning up. The list below is only a few of the ways that kids can ‘spring clean’.
- Small plastic toys spend a lot of time on the floor. With a small cloth and some warm, soapy water in the sink, or a bin on the floor surrounded by big towels, let your child wash a few cars, trucks, trains, blocks, toy dishes or whatever else may need a rinse.
- It’s easier for kids to wriggle under beds than adults. Turn your child into a vacuum that will reach any lost items that are hiding there in the dark.
- Transformed to be a giant machine and armed with a laundry basket send your child around a room to pick up anything off the floor or that needs to go somewhere else. Sorting these out later is great for categorizing skills.
- Tongs are fun to use to pick up duplo and lego or other small toys off the floor and pop them back into toy bins.
- Vacuums come with built-in sounds. Mops can also be dirt vacuums and kids can supply the sounds. What sounds can a mop make? Vroosh?
Besides exercising brains, there’s lots of physical movement. Social skills include learning how to be part of a team and cooperating with others. Emotionally children gain a sense of accomplishment and feelings of belonging. For a play-of-the-day, are there some spring cleaning activities that your child can do?