Whether children are at home or in childcare, they see a lot of cleaning. Babies and toddlers may want to help adults clean or pretend to clean in dramatic play. Cleaning looks so much fun to a child! You can spray water, play with wet fabric, unravel rolls of paper, and swing long brooms around.
Children can learn responsibility for their belongings and environment, because tidying up after yourself is an important life skill. Older children may resist cleaning if they see it as a chore, but it can be a fun and social experience.
See these relevant topics: Coronavirus, self-help skills, and hygiene and handwashing.
NQS and EYLF
The National Quality Standard requires childcare premises, furniture and equipment to be safe, clean and well maintained (3.1.2). Effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices need to be promoted and implemented (2.1.2).
The Early Years Learning Framework asks children to:
- develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and sense of agency (1.2)
- become socially responsible and show respect for the environment (2.4).
Learning experiences
Set up a washing station
Children can have enormous fun with buckets of water, bubbles, spray bottles and cloths. Early childhood educators can set up sensory play stations that allow children to experiment with child-safe cleaning products.
In addition to playing, the children can even help with classroom jobs. Are your chairs and tables looking a bit grubby? Take them outside and let the children wash them down.
Do your windows need cleaning? Give children spray bottles with vinegar and paper towels, or teach them how to use a squeegee. The end result may not be perfect, but it is an excellent learning opportunity.
Sing songs
Music can motivate both children and adults to move their bodies and clean a room. Many early childhood settings play the same song during clean up times, but you can improvise your own songs too: "This is the way I sweep the floor, sweep the floor".
Design a cleaning cloth
Teach children about absorbent fabrics by giving them a variety of materials, some absorbent and some not. Encourage children to test the fabrics by placing each one in the same amount of water. Which fabric would be best for making a cleaning cloth?
Learning environments
Provide child-sized cleaning equipment
Give children access to a variety of child-sized cleaning tools so they can help with tasks throughout the day:
- Brooms and dustpans for sweeping
- Strainers for removing leaves from the sandpit
- Rakes for tidying leaves
- Feather dusters for dusting
- General cleaning items for play in the home corner.
Take a break from cleaning
Resetting toys can help maintain an organised play space, but try something different for a few weeks. Designate an area that doesn't get tidied or cleaned. The area could be filled with blocks, cardboard boxes, art materials or sensory toys. Observe how the children use the space and how their play evolves.
Interactions
- Expand children's vocabularies during pack up time by using descriptive language (e.g. "the toys are inside the basket").
- Use positive language to reduce children's fear of germs (e.g. "I'm cleaning the bathroom to keep us healthy, look how it sparkles!")
- Praise children for their efforts when they assist in cleaning and tidying routines. Chores are not always fun so make them feel appreciated.
Reflections
- How are mess and cleanliness perceived at your service?
- Do educators interrupt or avoid messy play? How does this impact the children's learning?
- Do educators value clean and tidy environments?
- Is your classroom a healthy, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing place to be?