We are on the home straight of the summer break. But if you’re anything like me, then you’ll have been driven half mad trying to get the housework done, as well as everything organised and clean around the house all summer. As lovely as it is having the children at home and a bit of a break from routine, they do bring a whirlwind of dirt and mess with them!

According to some studies, the average child will say they’re bored just ten days into the summer holidays, and seven in ten parents said they find it difficult to keep their kids entertained through the school summer break. Plus, if you try activities such as arts and crafts, baking, and board games create even more cleaning up and tidying away, which I know for me, is a stress!

Cleaning experts at home appliance manufacturer Vorwerk have come up with some genius tips to turn your child into a cleaning whizz this summer.

1. Turn it into a game

By no means an easy feat, but you can make it into a game by seeing how many toys your children can pick up in one minute. My two are pretty competitive so find that this really works for us. It helps to quickly move the clutter out of sight and they enjoy the race element of it. Another game to help with the clean-up is by setting up coloured bins and asking your child to put their toys into the right one. This gets them involved in a fun and interactive way, if you have a couple of spare boxes handy.

2. Dusting

Using tall feather dusters is still a bit of a novelty for little ones. Letting them use cleaning tools is a bit like using a toy – just make sure to move anything that is easily broken out of reach first! Even a smaller duster is something simple and easy that children can do at any level of the house.

3. Vacuuming with a handheld

It has been proven that children learn by imitating (we’ve all seen those superset toy vacuums, right)? So while you’re working your way around the room with your regular vacuum cleaner, pass a child-friendly, handheld vacuum to the little ones. More cleaning with minimal effort on your part. You can even turn that into a bit of a race between you too.

4. Sweeping up

Sweeping laminate or tile flooring is a simple task that needs doing on a regular basis, even more so for the households with pets. Make it a fun task by seeing who can sweep from one side of the room to the other the quickest, without missing any crumbs on the floor.  You could also get your children to move the crumbs into one particular tile on the floor, for instance.

5. Bathroom

Window cleaners can be used on more than just your window. Make bath time clean time by cleaning your bath and tiles with a window cleaner. My kids love making all the bubbles disappear and wiping the shower screen when they’re in there, so why not make it actually clean?

6. Washing up

If your child enjoys washing up, let them have a go, even if you have to rewash the odd plate once they’ve gone to bed. You can make it more of a fun task by creating bubbles with the washing up liquid.

7. Cleaning surfaces

Children are happy to spray and wipe down surfaces, and it’s a quick way of giving the bathroom a once over. But to start with,  just use water, or watering essential oils in spray bottle, until they are at an age where they can safely handle cleaning products.

8. Laundry

Laundry is tricky as chemicals are involved. So don’t think they can do it all for you. But they can easily help to load the washer, bring their clothes to it, and even make a game by separating the light clothes from the dark clothes. Then they can easily help you to sort and fold the clothes after they’re done. Matching socks is always a competitive game in our house!

Do you have some other ideas to get your kids involved in helping around the house?

*collaborative post