If I continue to be honest, I can admit that sometimes this free expression gets the best of me and I just want a clean home. So a few months ago we made a change. Each night we pause our activities about 20 minutes before bedtime to do a whole family cleaning sweep. We call it 20 minute cleaning.
For this activity, we write down rooms that need to be picked up. The living room, kitchen and dining room are always on the list, but the other rooms make the list when they look like they need a bit of attention. Some rooms, like the playroom often have two pieces of paper, so two people are cleaning that room. Anyway, we write the rooms on small pieces of paper, fold them up and toss them into the air. Each member of the family grabs a piece of paper and is responsible for that room. (the three year old is allowed to help someone with their room and is not responsible for his own room)
There is a built in incentive. If you are able to completely pick up your room in less then the allotted 20 minutes (sometimes only 15 mins), you are encouraged to go and help someone who is still working. When your room is finished and you have helped someone else, you earn a sticker on our incentive chart. Sometimes the room you get is the messiest, so by the end there are many able to help you; sometimes you have the easiest room and have the opportunity to help others.
This means that 3-8 rooms are getting attention each and every evening. The number changes depending on how many people are home at the time. It is truly great to wake up and start each day with a nice, picked up home.
Here are some thoughts behind our process:
-I was noticing that people were not taking care of their own messes. With our chore chart people knew that child x was in charge of picking up the office, so since it wasn't their chore they would choose not to clean up. With 20 minute cleaning, you never know what room you will get, so cleaning up your mess now is often a good idea.
-I was looking for more ways for our children to help and encourage one another without my direction.
-I was really getting tired of picking up the entire home before going to bed. Some of my days are very long and there is often a lack of energy once the sun has set.
-Having help with picking up allows me more time to sit and invest in our marriage relationship.
-Since my husband and I each get a piece of paper also, we are able to model hard work and cooperation on an almost daily basis.
-good stewardship is not just about tithing, it is also about taking care of the items that God has blessed us with....in my mind this includes picking them up and putting them away.
Maybe this is not an area in your family that needs attention. It however, has worked great for our family, so I thought I would share the idea with all of you. You might be able to adapt it to fit a situation in your own home. Investing in your children's learning and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the family is always a winning situation for everyone.
There is a built in incentive. If you are able to completely pick up your room in less then the allotted 20 minutes (sometimes only 15 mins), you are encouraged to go and help someone who is still working. When your room is finished and you have helped someone else, you earn a sticker on our incentive chart. Sometimes the room you get is the messiest, so by the end there are many able to help you; sometimes you have the easiest room and have the opportunity to help others.
This means that 3-8 rooms are getting attention each and every evening. The number changes depending on how many people are home at the time. It is truly great to wake up and start each day with a nice, picked up home.
Here are some thoughts behind our process:
-I was noticing that people were not taking care of their own messes. With our chore chart people knew that child x was in charge of picking up the office, so since it wasn't their chore they would choose not to clean up. With 20 minute cleaning, you never know what room you will get, so cleaning up your mess now is often a good idea.
-I was looking for more ways for our children to help and encourage one another without my direction.
-I was really getting tired of picking up the entire home before going to bed. Some of my days are very long and there is often a lack of energy once the sun has set.
-Having help with picking up allows me more time to sit and invest in our marriage relationship.
-Since my husband and I each get a piece of paper also, we are able to model hard work and cooperation on an almost daily basis.
-good stewardship is not just about tithing, it is also about taking care of the items that God has blessed us with....in my mind this includes picking them up and putting them away.
Maybe this is not an area in your family that needs attention. It however, has worked great for our family, so I thought I would share the idea with all of you. You might be able to adapt it to fit a situation in your own home. Investing in your children's learning and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the family is always a winning situation for everyone.
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