Must-have skill for children #2: cleaning their own rooms
Parents are forever telling their children to keep their rooms clean by picking up toys, making their beds, and throwing away garbage. That is why, for the second installment of our ‘Must-Have Skill for Children’ series, JEI Learning Center wants to bring to your attention National Clean Up Your Room Day!
Although hard to enforce, the act of cleaning up their rooms positively influences children’s lives in ways that JEI Learning Center is all about! Improved self-discipline and self-confidence are among the pillars that make up JEI Learning Center’s sturdy foundation for learning and growth, and these lessons can be translated into everyday life. It starts with this simple habit which leads to major improvements in:
Self-Discipline and Sense of Responsibility
As much as you love your kids, it can be challenging to get them to take initiative and do what is best for themselves. Once the school bell rings, children think of all the free time they have with little to no intention of using a portion of that time productively.
The problems here are lack of self-discipline and sense of responsibility. The only way to cultivate them is through the force of habit. The best habit to start with would be something small that gives way to immediately visible results, like cleaning a personal space. Establishing a certain day of the week for children to clean their rooms gives rise to a routine that they can get used to, and this will translate into the rest of their lives.
Also by encouraging them clean, they will keep things better organized throughout rather than making a mess to locate an item or letting things pile up. They will realize that behaving in a mindful way will decrease the work later on. Give them the responsibility of their own space and they will act more responsibly.
Self-Learning and Gratitude
Hands-on experiences lead to self-discovery. They are great ways for children to learn something new, perfect a craft, and even find out new things about themselves, like how they like to organize.
They will learn the concept of self-learning and proactivity. By continuously doing something over and over again, they will naturally improve and stretch their growth mindsets instead of miraculously expecting things to be perfect without doing anything.
For example, when a parent cleans their room for them while they are out at school, they come back to a pristine room and then expect it to be maintained without having to do anything about it. They take the act for granted, but taking the act on themselves will make them appreciate what their parents have been doing for them. Plus, when they see all that they have, they will realize they do not need more toys because they have plenty already.
Still, a fun way to get them motivated to clean might be to hide fun surprises throughout the room for them to find throughout the process. They don’t have to be toys, but can be motivational quotes, pieces of candy, or funny pictures!
Self-Confidence and Sense of Accomplishment
Enabling them to take on this repeated project is about taking control of their lives, which in turn increases their sense of confidence and accomplishment. Imagine a room going from a pigsty with messy blankets, strewn toys, funky smell, and no floor in sight to catalog-ready with a perfectly made bed, spotless floor, and an organized desk. The difference will be so tangible, and afterward, knowing that they were the ones to put in the effort to enact this change, the children will feel satisfied with themselves. This can act as a catalyst for other things.
A clean room results in a clean mind, but the act of cleaning also results in more energy to create similar results elsewhere in life. Children will be on a roll. They will be proud and eager for more.
However, in the chance that they do not feel all that great after cleaning their rooms, this can also provide a good lesson that not everything in life is enjoyable but some things are still necessary. It’s a teachable moment, either way.
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Let your children create an environment that is good for themselves by their own choice and effort. Decluttering will save them time in the long run as they will not have to look for missing items, the mind feels safe and focused, and a clean environment releases stress and nurtures independence.
There are endless benefits to this skill, as long as you make sure a positive attitude and mindset are practiced throughout. What may seem like a mundane, tedious task is actually a necessary and fulfilling one–so set up a routine now for your children to have fun with it and grow!
