Beverly Jenkins – FamilyToday https://www.familytoday.com Here today, better tomorrow. Thu, 03 Nov 2016 06:35:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.3 https://wp-media.familytoday.com/2020/03/favicon.ico Beverly Jenkins – FamilyToday https://www.familytoday.com 32 32 5 tricks to teach your kids how to love helping around the house https://www.familytoday.com/family/5-tricks-to-teach-your-kids-how-to-love-helping-around-the-house/ Thu, 03 Nov 2016 06:35:02 +0000 http://www.famifi.com/oc/5-tricks-to-teach-your-kids-how-to-love-helping-around-the-house/ Want help with the housework? Try out these tricks.

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How old should my kids be before asking them to help out around the house? This is a common question among many parents. To some, training a child to help with household chores is overwhelming. Such parents find it easier to get the work done themselves. What they do not realize is teaching your kids to love helping out instills discipline and important values about work in your child. You should start as early as possible to teach these lessons.

Involving your children with chores helps them to become responsible, understand the value of hard work, acquire useful skills and be more appreciative. Don't you want children who know these lessons early on in life?

If your children do not learn these lessons at home, then they are likely to learn the hard way, out in the world. So, how can you train kids to help at home without making them feel like are being punished? Here are some tips:

1. Be specific with your instructions

Describe the different things you want your child to do to accomplish. Instead of saying, "tidy up the house" you can tell them to pick up their clothes, fold them, arrange them in their closet, and so forth. Using specific examples will help eliminate confusion.

2. Incorporate games

This is a great way of getting your children love chores. Also, it can motivate them to do a great job and do it quickly, especially if there is a reward. For instance, if you want your kids to put away things around the house, set a timer and make it a competition. See who can pick up the most items and give a prize to the winner. Make sure to be specific with the different items they need to collect. Keep thinking of difficult challenges to keep your kids interested; yesterday's game might not work today.

3. Prepare a to-do list for them

This can work for kids who already know how to read. Come up with a list of the things you want him or her to do, but always include time for play. When coming up with the activities you want your child to do, be mindful of their age. To motivate your kids to get chores done, create a colorful chart complete with pictures that shows the different chores.

4. Suppress the urge to redo their work

Remember, you are encouraging your kids to want to help out. If you clean after them, you are implying they didn't meet your expectations. Consequently, they won't feel like helping out again since you can always do better. Avoid this by giving your children tasks you don't mind being done not so perfectly.

5. Show genuine appreciation

Appreciation encourages your children to want to learn more. Besides, everyone feels good when they know they are being helpful in some way. Even if you want to make corrections, congratulate them first for a job well done. Support them on their journey to learning how to become responsible adults.

Learn these skills as early as possible. Of course it is important to understand what your child can and cannot do depending on their age. Even 2-3 year olds can put their shoes and toys away.

What tricks have you used on your children to make them love helping you out?

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5 quick and simple cleaning hacks for a spotless house https://www.familytoday.com/family/5-quick-and-simple-cleaning-hacks-for-a-spotless-house/ Wed, 28 Sep 2016 06:30:00 +0000 http://www.famifi.com/oc/5-quick-and-simple-cleaning-hacks-for-a-spotless-house/ If you feel overwhelmed with work and home life, these tips are for you.

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Keeping up with work demands and personal life can be elusive. With annual and quarterly targets to meet, the modern professional often has to work around the clock. This can leave you with no time or energy for attending to many personal issues. Important duties such as house cleaning become like a total derailment. Yet, of course you want to live in a clean home.

In most societies, the role of keeping the house clean and organized falls on the woman. This puts the career woman in a very precarious situation. In fact, the twenty-first-century woman has a lot on her hands to deal with. Her career is screaming for attention and so are her family roles.

How can you balance your career and family life?

These five simple, quick cleaning hacks will help you maintain sanity and balance, increasing your chances of performing better at work.

1. Reduce clutter

When there are too many unwanted items in your home, keeping it clean and organized becomes a nightmare.

A major step to maintaining a clean home is reducing clutter. Spare some time to go through your things. You will be surprised at how many things you hoard yet do not really need. You will find items you have not used for years. Dispose of unwanted clutter by donating or recycling things you no longer need.

2. Clean on the go

Keeping a clean home doesn't necessarily involve taking a day off to conduct a massive cleaning assault.

The secret to keeping a clean home lies in the amount of maintenance you put in. Small, consistent and regular cleaning tasks keep your house in top shape and make cleaning feel easier and faster.

Do not wait for dishes to pile up. Make a point of clearing your sinks after every meal. Also, wipe down surfaces immediately after use. Each morning, take a few minutes to wipe the bathroom surfaces after use. In fact, soap and water marks are most easily removed when they are still fresh.

Do these quick, simple tasks while waiting for your coffee to brew, soup to boil, etc.

3. Ask for help

It is never a bad idea to get others involved in important house chores. Your family members want to stay in a tidy house too. All it takes is for you to show direction. Your spouse might find it fulfilling to be of help anytime they can. And, cleaning together allows you to talk and catch up as a family.

If you and your family feel overwhelmed by certain cleaning projects, ask for your friends to join in or use a maid service. You get your home cleaned easily and thoroughly within a short time. This allows you time to relax and enjoy being in your clean home.

4. Have a regular routine

As mentioned earlier, your home can always look clean if you maintain it. This gives you a chance to tackle any mess before it gets out of hand. If possible, come up with a cleaning checklist of daily tasks that will keep your home tidy.

5. Relax and don't stress the small stuff

With your career and other responsibilities waiting, you may not always have enough time to do detailed cleaning.

To maintain your sanity, learn to cut yourself some slack. You are not a super being. It is alright not to get everything perfect. In fact, if you have children, there will always be a little extra cleaning task to do. Children are likely to mess the already-clean space before you can finish with the another.

Accept that a little mess is allowable.

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