How to Get Your Kids to Help Wash the Dishes

How to Get Your Kids to Help Wash the Dishes

 

We’re all familiar with the mad dash to the table when it’s time to sit down for dinner. But, when it’s time to clean up, suddenly everyone disappears. Sometimes getting your kids to help out with chores can be a challenge.

Make washing the dishes a family activity. BETTER LIFE has some tips for getting along and getting dish duty off your plate!

 

Make it Age Appropriate

Teach young children how to properly load each dish into the dishwasher. Let them handle simple things like silverware, bowls, plates, and cups.

If your child is too young to wash sharp knives and breakable dishes, let them take care of other utensils and dishware while you tackle the risky stuff. As they get older you can teach them how to handle knives and glassware.

Sometimes dishwasher gels use harmful chemicals, making them unsafe for children. With BETTER LIFE Natural Dishwasher Gel, you can teach any of your kids how to add the gel to the dishwasher once all the dishes have been loaded. BETTER LIFE Dishwasher Gel is plant-based, so your kids aren’t in danger of coming in contact with bleach or sulfates when they use it. 

 

Divide and Conquer

If you have multiple mess-makers running around your home, washing dishes is any easy chore to split up. Make an assembly line! Put someone in charge of scraping off excess food, someone in charge of loading the dishes, and someone in charge of hand-washing dishes that aren’t dishwasher safe.

We know hand-washing dishes usually doesn’t get many volunteers, but, with Naturally Grease-Kicking BETTER LIFE Dish Soap, even hand-washing dishes can be a breeze. Our plant-powered Dish Soap tackles grease and leaves no residue. It also has vitamin E and aloe to soothe and moisturize your hands.

If members of your family would prefer a night off, try making a chore schedule. On Mondays your son does the dishes and on Tuesdays your daughter does them.

You can help, too. Show your kids that teamwork makes chores go by much faster!

 

Have Fun!

You and your kids probably have some great dance moves! Dancing and singing along to music can make any task a little more exciting. Music can put you and your kids in a better mood, helping to make doing the dishes a little bit more fun.

If you’re sick of listening to your daughter’s favorite movie soundtrack for the 10th day in a row, try turning washing the dishes into a game. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Time your kids to see how long it takes them to scrape leftover food off of two dishes each. Or, make loading the dishwasher a seek-and-find activity. First, find and load all the forks into the dishwasher, then the plates, and so on.

 

Reward Hard Work  

When the job is done, don’t forget to thank your hard workers! Let them know how much you appreciate their help.

Giving them a reward for a job well done can be as simple as letting them have 20 minutes of free time after they’ve finished. Positive reinforcement gives your kids the opportunity to get more out of helping around the house.

Remember: stay positive. It can be frustrating when your son refuses to finish drying the rest of the dishes in the rack. If cleaning off the dinner table turns into a Western movie style standoff, be firm but try to talk it through. Let your kids know how much you could use their help. Ask them what they’d rather be doing instead. Maybe you can strike a deal. If they spend 20 minutes loading up the dishwasher, you’ll let them spend 20 minutes watching TV. 

When you’re done, don’t forget to wash your sink, too. Uncleaned, your sink is one of the dirtiest places in your house. BETTER LIFE Kitchen & Bath Scrubber can get rid of any greasy, grimy residues left in your sink.

Let’s face it, washing dishes isn’t your favorite part of the day either. Make it better with BETTER LIFE’s helpful tips. Join BETTER LIFE’s mailing list and we’ll keep you informed on new products, cleaning tips and tricks, and specials.

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