Keeping a house clean and tidy with a toddler is no easy feat. They tend to get into everything and love to make a mess, and it can be exhausting for parents to constantly be cleaning up after them! When my daughter started showing an interest in participating in the cleanup efforts at home, I began taking every opportunity to get her involved. While she’s not always keen on putting all her toys away by herself, she loves having a specific cleaning task to complete, such as cleaning a table with soap, water, and a sponge. Here are three ways I’ve enlisted her into our spring cleanup this year. If you would like to do the same, this French for children spring cleaning vocabulary list will come in handy.
3 simple spring cleaning tasks for toddlers
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If this is your child’s first time doing any of these tasks, you’ll need to demonstrate each step to your child before inviting them to participate.
1) Dusting furniture
To dust – épousseter
Some patio items such as tables that have been covered during the winter only need to be lightly dusted with a clean cloth or a duster to get them ready for spring and summer. Provide your child with a dry or damp cleaning cloth or a duster and task them with cleaning a low table that they can easily reach.
Dusting cloth – chiffon à épousseter (masculine)
Duster – plumeau (masculine)
2) Sweeping the floor
To sweep – balayer
Chances are your patio or balcony needs a good sweep to get it ready for barbecue season. Using painter’s tape, create a square on the floor and ask your little helper to use their broom to sweep all the debris into the designated area. Then, provide them with a dustpan and a smaller brush so that they can collect everything they need to transfer to the trash can.
Broom – balai (masculine)
Dustpan – porte-poussière (masculine)
Trash can – poubelle (feminine)
3) Washing outdoor toys
To wash – laver
If your toddler is anything like mine, this is the task that they will enjoy the most. Equipped with soapy water, a scrub sponge, and a rag, let them have fun washing off any dirt or grime that may have accumulated on their outdoor toys.
Soapy water – eau savonneuse (feminine)
Scrub sponge – éponge à récurer (feminine)
Rag – chiffon (masculine)
How do you plan on including your child in spring cleaning? Will you be using our French for children spring cleaning vocabulary list to incorporate new words during your cleaning activities?
Related: Spring French resources for kids
