Children are capable of a lot more than we give them credit for. My children have enjoyed helping me around the house since they were each as young as two years old. Not only do I enjoy having the help, but I also take pride in teaching my children how to run a household, so one day they will be able to run their very own. We enjoy doing a Weekly Home Blessing a la FlyLady together as a family, with a bit of a twist.
Cleaning Game: A Weekly Home Blessing
If you’re not familiar with FlyLady, it’s a home cleaning system created by Marla Cilley. Part of her system is the Weekly Home Blessing. This is not the detailed part of her cleaning system but simply a one-hour spruce up of your home. The seven “blessings” that FlyLady suggests accomplishing are:
• Vacuum
• Dust
• Quick Mop
• Polish Mirrors and Doors
• Purge magazines/catalogues
• Change Sheets
• Empty all trash cans
You set a timer for 10 minutes and tackle the first task, then set the timer again and move on to the next. We have been doing this a little differently in our home for the last several years. When my daughter was little, she used to call this our “House Bath.” I have written each task on a piece of paper and placed them in a container. My son, my daughter, and I each pick a paper from the container. Then we set the timer for 10 minutes and run to get our individual task completed quickly. There is a bit of competition involved, as each child exclaims if they are the first to finish. Those who finish early pick another paper and get started on that task before I reset the 10-minute timer.
We have added a few more tasks to our Weekly Home Blessing:
• Clean the floor of your room (on three separate papers so everyone can get a chance)
• Scoop cat litter
• Clean toilets
• Clean washroom sinks
The tasks we have added are in areas that always need cleaning. Even with more tasks, with all three of us working it takes only about 30 minutes! We even manage to have fun. My daughter especially loves dusting. When our FlyLady Ostrich-feather duster first arrived, the two children fought over doing the dusting, much to my surprise!
I encourage you to read more about FlyLady and her system or pick up her book, Sink Reflections. It may be just what you need to fly as a family!
How do you get weekly cleaning done in your home? Do you FLY with your family? Please let me know in the comments below!
Love, Luck &
Laughter,
Kimberly
This article first appeared in Homeschool Horizons Magazine, March 2012.
Please note: This article includes affiliate links. If you click through and buy, I make a few bucks to help support Homeschooling in Nova Scotia.
