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Child-adapted cleaning supplies

preschooler-adapted swiffer mop

Are you looking to get your kids more involved in household chores? I took the middle sections out of our Swiffer Sweeper to make it child-sized, and now Emma sweeps the floor for me every morning! Simple things like adapting cleaning supplies to make them more child-friendly goes a long ways towards getting kids involved with household chores! We also use child-friendly cleaners – vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap are three standards in our home! How do you get your kids involved with household chores?

Update 2/20/2015: Each of my four kids has enjoyed doing this over the years; two-year-old Anna is now my resident floor cleaner! I have also written a new post full of great tips for getting kids to help with chores.

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

15 thoughts on “Child-adapted cleaning supplies”

  1. I definitely need to try that with our swifer – it will be two for one – Anna is “profitably busy” :)
    .-= Natalie´s last blog ..Science Sunday – Touch =-.

  2. Wow! I am so going to have to do that!!!
    .-= Terra´s last blog ..Preschool Plans – Week of June 28th =-.

  3. Christie - Childhood 101

    What a great idea, my first job for the morning will be modifying our sweeper :)

  4. My children are fans of our dustpan and brush, but I think your idea would be a real winner with them (and me). I have often wondered when the enthusiasm for helping to clean dies off.

    Hair gel and food coloring is a combination we have not tried. After seeing your blog post and cool pictures for this activity I think we will also have a heap of fun with this.

    No sew felt food. My interest really piqued when I saw the “no sew” part. Your pizzas are fantastic and I will certainly be whipping up a few of these. My children are right into playing with pretend food at the moment and I think they would appreciate some new additions to their collection.
    .-= Elise´s last blog ..Upcycling The Humble Toilet Roll =-.

  5. Elisa | blissfulE

    Yea for an enthusiastic helper and a clever mama to make a Swifter just-her-size! :) We have an usher broom and dustpan set that works almost equally well for adults and children.

    My kids’ favourite use of the broom is to fetch things out from under the sofa and refrigerator. The area beneath our refrigerator is surprisingly dust-bunny-free these days.
    .-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..learning to read and write =-.

  6. Ladybug loves using my sweeper. I bought two large microfiber cloths and cut them in half to have a good supply on hand. (That’s eight when you flip em over, even.)
    Even Sam has started in on the action. He just kind of moves the dirt around, though.

    Cute idea. Maybe I should shorten mine, too.

  7. This is a great idea! Jack LOVES to use our Swiffers. I am def. going to do this for one of them just for him. Thank you!!

    Hey, say a little prayer for me. I have an interview tomorrow night with our Bishopric about a calling–no idea what it is. Nervous:-)….
    .-= susana´s last blog ..Southwest Pizza with that awesome crust recipe =-.

  8. Andrea @ The Train To Crazy

    Brilliant! I should have thought of taking out a piece! They can still work it but I’m sure they’ll be less frustrated!
    .-= Andrea @ The Train To Crazy´s last blog ..A floral Fathers’ Day =-.

  9. Jackie @ 3 Little Ones

    thanks for linking up to my etsy shop :) I’m glad you are enjoying your reusable swiffer pads! We did that with one of our swiffer mops too – my kids love it (and I love the help!!!)
    .-= Jackie @ 3 Little Ones´s last blog ..A Bad Day =-.

  10. My two lil girls are so fascinated with Swifters. They love to help me dust using their swifter sticks. I got two for the both of them because they were fighting over it some time ago.

  11. Great idea! They usually try and sweep with the full-size one and end up poking or knocking something…will have to give this a try!

  12. That’s a great idea! My daughters have a play mop and broom they use to pretend clean… now I can just adapt the Swiffer and truly put them to work!
    .-= Quadmama´s last blog ..Sunscreen =-.

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