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House Clearance With Kids

Having a house clearance is a necessary part of junk removal and de-cluttering the home. This can be a stressful task at the best of times. Having a family with young kids can make the clearance process even more difficult. If you’re unable to have a home clearance without the kids being around, these handy tips are here to encourage the kids to not only be involved in the domestic clearance process but also be productive and helpful.


1.    Explain what’s happening. Kids won’t really understand the point of a clearance to begin with. You need to explain thoroughly to the children the purpose of why you are clearing out each room and what they will achieve from it. If the purpose greatly benefits the child, such as clearing out space in their bedroom for a new bed or getting rid of old toys they don’t play with anymore so they can get something new, the motivation for them to help out will be greater. You may also need to explain that clearing out items is part of the responsibility of owning possessions and growing up.


2.    Give the kids responsibility. Children actually love responsibility and being given a task to make them feel important. Kids are more likely to act up and misbehave when they aren’t given a serious task to perform. If you are clearing out the living room, put the kids in charge of collecting any toys of theirs that may be lying around and give them the change to decide what ones they want to keep.


3.    Let kids use the same system as you. A big part of clearance is deciding what to keep and what to throw out or donate. Using a system where you make piles according to these three things, or labelling everything with a coloured sticky note system is effective. However you decide to do this let the kids to the same. For all their toys and clothes, encourage them to make these piles and de-clutter their own belongings. Kids may be resistant at first to throw anything out, but once they see you doing the same thing they will do the same. They will be happy to imitate your actions and learn positive behaviour.


4.    Have realistic expectations. Children have a shorter attention span and focus than adults, especially at tasks that aren’t particularly stimulating. You need to take this into account and break the clearance day up into smaller sections. For example, spend 45 minutes clearing out a room, and then take a break. Do something with the kids during this break time, such as get a drink or snack or play a quick game outside for 15 minutes. Then go back to clearing the next room. This will not only help the kids focus, but will also be great for yours.


5.    Make them an expert. Kids love having an expert role, so give them the chance to be in charge of something. Perhaps make them in charge of emptying all the drawers in a room. Their job is to empty the drawers, your job is to sort out what to keep and what not to keep. Even let the kids be in charge of making the piles or labelling things for donation or throwing out. This gives them a solid role and a leadership position which will help them stay motivated and on task.