Why Toddlers Should Clean Their Own Room

With raising little ones comes the inevitable mess of toys and activities around your home. Especially in rooms for your little one, such as their bedroom or playroom, this clutter can quickly turn to chaos. Everyone deals with the stress of mess in different ways — a lot of the time, the cleanup is left to the grown-ups. However, instilling in your little one a positive attitude about cleaning throughout their social emotional development can make this chore a lot more enjoyable from the start! Teaching your preschooler how to keep their room clean and participating in other chores for kids is great for developing practical life skills and building good habits for their future selves.

Builds Confidence

When we know how to take care of ourselves, it makes us feel confident. As little ones gain and strive for independence, they want to try new things by themselves – it’s all part of their social emotional development! Teaching your little one that keeping their room clean is a great activity they can try by themselves. This can start with asking them questions when they are done playing with a set of toys, like “can you show me where these toys go when you’re not playing with them?” or “it’s time for these toys to go to sleep, where do they take their naps?” Knowing where their belongings live in their own space gives your little one confidence and nurtures a sense of pride with keeping it clean.

Teaches Cleanliness

Little ones love spending time with their grown-ups, especially when they are invited to help. Cleaning up communal spaces together, like the living room or kitchen, is a great option for chores for kids that gives your little one the chance to watch and mimic the ways you clean. Giving them the opportunity to clean up after themselves, and letting them see what a clean space looks and feels like, can help them learn to gauge when it is time to clean their own room. They may even take the initiative to clean their room after you two have cleaned together!

Practical Life Skills

One day, your little one is going to have a home of their own, and the skills they learn from you about ways to upkeep it will stick with them. Think of how your parents may have kept their homes clean, and what you may still do to this day that you mimicked them doing when you were a little one. Learning good habits through chores for kids when it comes to cleaning up after themselves will also lead to less frustration as your little one continues their social emotional development and grows into adolescence.