Our family believes in chores.
In fact everyone in our family has assigned monthly chores.
But we also have “house swoops.”
Doesn’t the word “swoop” sound more fun?
Since my kids were super young I always included them in toy clean-up and morning chores, but during the day and before bedtime it was all on me.
I did the evening “house swoop.”
I also did a before nap “house swoop”.
And obviously, I did the before bed swoop.
But then…”Lightbulb!”
My kids weren’t learning about real life when I was doing all the house swoops for them.
Instead, I decided that we should do house swoops together.
And you know what?
It actually works!
My before nap, bed and dinner house swoops are much more quick and less stressful.
I just announce, “Time for a house swoop!”
And the swooping commences!
Now, teaching kids to properly swoop a house takes time and training.
Kids don’t immediately know how to swoop, so be patient and use this learning time as an opportunity to build life skills into your child’s routine!
And to make your training easier, I made a super-easy list for you to download, print and use to make your swoop stay simple! And we made it age-focused friendly — a Swoop Guide from Toddlers to Teens!
Swooping should only take 15-30 minutes — based on your house, family size and the amount of daily destruction.
Some families have more swooping because they eat all their meals at home and homeschool.
Other families have less swooping because the home is unoccupied for the major part of the day.
No matter your family’s situation, swooping is not a designated time for deep cleaning and should only take minutes!
And swooping shouldn’t be begrudged.
Psst!
If parents begrudge the daily house swoops, so will kids!
Everyone should work towards creating a “put together” home for the most special people in your life to enjoy!
And you know what’s crazy wonderful about faithful, daily swooping?
Those dedicated minutes enable your family to enjoy a cleaner and more sane home!
And why am I teaching my kids how to swoop?
Because training them to do daily swoops prepares them for their real, adult life future.
When they become adults they’ll need to have an eye for things that are out of place, disorganized or untidy.
That doesn’t happen overnight.
Becoming a skilled “swooper” takes time and practice!
What happens if kids aren’t taught to swoop?
It’s simple.
They find it more difficult to appreciate a clean home.
And if kids don’t appreciate a clean home they are less careful about preventing messes. (And that is where the clean house secret of busy moms comes into the open. Preventing messes are a huge part of maintaining a tidy home!)
Kids who aren’t involved in daily swoops also have a more difficult time figuring out what needs to be tidied.
And that’s where this simple swoop list that’s for specific age groups helps parents give their children swoop responsibilities.
Teaching kids to swoop also creates a positive attitude towards tidying a house.
Daily tidying also prevents added stress that comes from a house that’s overly messy because it wasn’t tidied on a regular basis.
Ready to swoop?
Here’s how to do a Daily Swoop with Kids
Daily Swoop Do’s
- Do look for misplaced items — teddy bears, keys, hair bows, crayons etc. and return those items to their proper places.
- Use a bag or laundry basket to keep all “swooped” items together so it only takes minutes to replace those items.
- Pick up any trash and toss.
- Fix throw pillows, throw blankets etc. in living areas.
- Quickly sweep or vacuum any crumbs on floor.
- Straighten bookshelves.
- Wash any dirty dishes.
- Put away any dry, clean dishes.
- Set a timer so you don’t get carried away swooping!
Daily Swoop Don’ts
- Don’t scrub or deep clean anything.
- Don’t spend more than 30 minutes swooping.
- Don’t watch other people “swoop” — be involved!
- Don’t groan about swooping — think about the finished product!
Grab your swoop printables today and start swooping!
