Spring Cleaning as a Family Doesn’t Have to be a Chore
When I was growing up in rural Michigan, spring was one of my least favorite times of the year.
It really should have been my favorite – considering we’d most likely been buried under a snow bank and hadn’t seen the sun in months. But at our house, spring meant a lot more than finally seeing the sunshine again.
It meant spring cleaning. As a family.
And it was never as simple as things like going through your winter clothes and switching things out in your drawers. Or maybe dusting your baseboards and washing the windows.
No – spring cleaning at our house meant things like:
- Painting the exterior of the garage
- Re-grading the gravel driveway with the tractor.
- Picking up sticks for what felt like weeks (there was a small apple orchard on the property)
- Somehow dealing with the mountain of woodchips my dad would have delivered. One wheelbarrow full at a time.
It was some of the hardest work of my life, and my brother and I became quite skilled at hiding from my parents. (There are lots of great hiding places when you have two barns, a garage, a basement and acres of swampland behind your house.)
Back then, I swore that I’d never make my kids do any «spring cleaning.» And I also swore I wouldn’t have a garage that needed to be painted. Ever.
Of course, all of that has changed now that I’m a homeowner myself – with three little kids. Luckily I was able to stick to a few of my promises – no acres of land, no orchard on the property, and no garage that needs to be cleaned.
But we do have a house that needs a little TLC after the long winter. And we do have a few trees in the yard that seem to lose limbs every winter. And I do see the benefit of having kids help out around the house.
In an attempt to not torture my children (as I was so clearly tortured as a child), my husband and I have found a few ways to make spring cleaning fun – and make it a workout for the entire family!
Set a Timer
This is by far the most effective (and active!) form of cleaning we do around here. We set a timer for 10 minutes and see who can pick up the most toys or put their laundry away the fastest. There’s lots of running going on, and lots of pitching in to get the house picked up as quickly as possible. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in just 10 minutes!
Blast the Music
I can ask my kids to put their laundry away or dust the baseboards, and they’ll grumble and moan just like every other kid in America. But when I’m blasting some fun, upbeat music and we’re all dancing while we dust or put up laundry? Well, that makes all the difference! It turns a household chore into a fun way for all of us to get active together.
Play a Game
The 3-year-old isn’t the most helpful child on the planet (although he’s getting better). But my older two kids love to play the «feed the puppy» game. The 3-year-old is the puppy, and he loves to «eat» toys. They feed the puppy their toys, and he puts them away for them. It’s amazing how helpful he can be when he thinks he’s being a playful puppy.
And on that same note, my older two kids like to pretend they’re frogs – jumping around their room to pick up dirty clothes and toss them down the laundry chute. (I don’t even bother mentioning to them all the squats they’re doing at the same time.)
Get Outside
We don’t have a huge yard like I did growing up, but there’s still lots to be done outside each spring. We all work together with everyone doing what they can – whether it’s picking up sticks, spreading mulch or pulling weeds. And we make sure to take lots of breaks for family bike rides, hotdogs on the grill, and maybe a family swinging contest to see who can swing the highest.
Everyone is a little more motivated to pitch in around the house when we spend the same amount of time doing something a little more fun outside as well.
And – yes – anytime my kids grumble about spring cleaning, I tell them how lucky they are that they don’t have to spend a month painting the outside of our garage.
What are some fun and active ways that your family tackles spring cleaning?
Anna Luther is the mom behind the blog, My Life and Kids. She loves to share her stories, make you laugh and help moms feel better about their crazy, messy, fabulous lives. She lives in Ohio with her husband and three little kids.