Get the tots involved: Ingrid Callot on encouraging kids to help clean the house

From Untitled Album

On top of Ingrid Callot’s checklist for the week: general cleaning. And believe me, it’s long overdue.
Parents usually take the full responsibility of cleaning the house. It’s part of every homeowner’s daily activities, so some point, it can become strenuous. With this, parenting experts suggest that kids, as young as toddlers, should be trained in doing simple household chores.

From Ingrid Callo February Photos

I agree with this. In fact, when Jacob was still two years old, he already knew how to organize his toys. One fateful event actually made ‘the training’ easier for me. One afternoon, my faboosh friend Edgardo Versoza visited our house. While walking towards the patio, he accidentally stepped on one of Jacob’s toys. “Oh no, Ingrid Callot! I think I broke your baby’s toy.”

The incident – Jacob witnessing his toy being smashed because it wasn’t kept in his toy box– became a reminder for him to have the initiative to organize his toys.

I’ve read an article online that supports the idea of encouraging kids to take part in house cleaning. Armin Brott, author of seven books on parenting advice, shared his thoughts on how children can be encouraged to take cleaning as a light and fun task. One of his tips is for parents to not have that “because I said so” attitude. Parents must learn how to make their kids feel that they are important to achieve the goal, which is to have a squeaky clean house.

It is also nice to create a game out of the cleaning process. In my case, I tell Jacob to beat a certain time schedule, and when he does, I see to it that I give him a reward for a job well done.

For more tips on leading a green and fun household, visit Ingrid Callot’s blog.
 

From Ingrid Callo February Photos