why cleaning with kids is the best

it’s just amazing

seeing them clean and feel so proud of their work

seeing them take it so seriously (because I do) and then have that sense of accomplishment

my first year as a solo teacher, i remember, we had “clean up time” and then i very dramatically looked around the room to “see if it was clean” we were all so invested. i had them stand in a line by the wall and they watched me silently, excitedly, no joke the feeling in the room was palpable-IS IT CLEAN OR IS IT NOT?! WHAT WILL MS. JULIE SAY

i said a mix of “wow” look how great and “hmm i see some crumbs here oyevey what do we do” and the kids volunteered ever so eagerly to be the helper that got to sweep up the spot that i saw and it was SO AMAZING. they got it cleaned up. and we all were so happy. the room was clean. they did that. we did that. we got our palace in order, our abode in shape. fit for playing, eating, enjoying and learning. we took it seriously and cherished our space. we held it dear and it in turn held us.

that is why cleaning with kids is the best. it’s accountability. it’s fun. it’s bonding.

and above all it is very very grounding.

there will always be something that needs to be cleaned.

it is the most basic necessity in life-we clean ourselves, we wash our hands, we pick up our toys, we do laundry-we push in the chairs. there is always cleaning that needs to be done,

it creates order externally and internally.

it grounds us in reality-things get messy and we clean them.

no matter how many amazing trips we may have to amusement parks or fun activities we all have certain responsibilities that are inescapable. and we never want to rob our children of that blessed work. or they won’t learn the joy of it and they will lose out on building that sense of accountability. that understanding of cause and effect-consequences of what happens when you make a mess.

you clean it up and you feel so much joy for taking care of your space-your life.