Home renovations are unavoidable. Occasionally you will find the need to pick your tools to spruce up your home. Some of these renovations may end up taking long hours and some even days. This stint may end up separating you from your kids. When tackling these projects, make sure to get your kids involved! Allowing children to help keeps them entertained. It also provides them with the practical skills they can use in the future.
It is necessary to only assign them projects that they can safely help with. If you allow them to operate larger pieces of equipment, such as a Grizzly drill press, make sure to provide them with careful supervision. If you’re not comfortable letting them use large equipment, assign kid-friendly renovation projects.
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Painting
If the idea of handing your kid a paintbrush scares you, you’re not alone. However, with the right amount of guidance, kids can help paint rooms without creating a huge mess. You can let them observe you, so that they can later join in.
Have them help with the prepping process. As you tape off trim, your kids can fill holes with putty and sand the excess putty off. They can also cover any furniture with plastic covers and lay tarps down on the floor. But you should double-check their work. Kids can then use brushes and rollers to apply the first coat of paint. Older kids might even be able to help paint around the trim. Make sure to keep a wet rag handy for any mishaps.
Assembling Furniture
If you’re moving new furniture into the house, let your child help build it. They can help hold pieces together and use hand tools. Most kids will pick up on using a screwdriver. Which is a skill they’ll need when they’re ready to tackle larger DIY projects.
If you’re not assembling new furniture, they can go around the house looking for loose screws. They can then make repairs on that existing furniture. Cabinet and drawer hardware often become loose over time. These are places your child can fix with a screwdriver.
Another way to keep them busy is by having them read out the instruction manual. They can also help in identifying the needs of the instructions. Such as what part of the furniture is being attached.
Cleaning
Sure, cleaning the house might not be the most fun project, but it is a necessary one. Home renovations often leave your house dusty. Kids can help clean windows, sweep floors, and vacuum. Most kids are happy to help once they realize their work is making a difference. It excites them to make the house look better. Having them clean up all the dust provides you more time to work on renovation projects.
You can assign the kids different work areas. Let them compete to see who finishes fast. Competition is one driving factor for kids. Encourage healthy competition in the process; a skill that will elevate them in life.
Help With Landscaping
Most kids love being outside, so have them help with any outside renovations! Placing outdoor solar lights along a walkway or a garden bed is an easy task that even toddlers can help out with. Kids can also help weed, pick out flowers, dig holes, fill in holes, carry rocks, clean up brush, and more. Under supervision, the older kids can mow the lawn and trim the hedges.
Another easy outdoor project is to have them help paint the mailbox. If you’re busy installing new siding or shutters or roof tiles, have them work of lighter projects. They could pick out a new paint color that matches the rest of the exterior of the house. This is a small task that children can complete.
Dry Fit Tile
Older children that understand patterns can help dry fit tiles. Some kids might only be able to handle dry-fitting square tiles. While others might be able to tackle more complicated layouts.
Some kids might even be able to help spread thin-set and lay the tiles or help with the grouting process.
Hang Photos
If you’re renovating a living room or bedroom, chances are you’re going to want to hang some new artwork. One of the fun activities to do with the kids is picking out the photos or artwork to hang. You can also use art supplies to make picture frames or decorate the existing ones.
Have them help hang temporary templates made out of paper on the wall. Always check their work to make sure the templates are level. You should mark the spots where the nails should go. Children can then hammer in the nails. Once the nails are in, rip away the paper template and hung the real artwork.
Help Get Rid Of Clutter
If you’re renovating room by room, have your child start preparing rooms in advance. They can getting rid of unnecessary clutter. They can get rid of any broken objects or any objects that the family doesn’t use anymore. You can ask them to sort their stuff and identify those they don’t use anymore. This technique will make the process faster. If you’re worried, they might toss something you want to keep. Have them place the clutter in a cardboard box that you can sort through later.
Conclusion
If you’re trying to renovate your house and your kids are driving you crazy because they’re bored, put them to work! Not only will it help keep them entertained. But the smaller tasks that they complete can help speed up renovations. It can also be a great bonding experience. Instead of having memories of sitting around watching you work, they’ll have memories of helping make their home beautiful.
Getting children involved helps them grow skillsets, which they can pass to their kids in the future. After the experience, they will be more careful around the home as they want to protect their work. Renovations don’t have to be done in isolation when you can have your kids taking part in them.
