Call me old-fashioned, but a clean home does wonders for me. And not for just me, for my family.

At this stage in our lives, a time when four out of five of us are at home nearly all hours of every day, a clean home keeps us sane. Daily cleaning provides us with a sense of peace, routine and respect for our home and ourselves.

If your children are still under the age of five, you’ll find their natural instincts to be involved in most clean up is still very much strong…minus the fact that many times a mess is simultaneously made in the process. But two steps forward, one step back is the way we learn.

So, how does one get their little people to join in when it’s time to clean up? Here are five simple ways to teach children to clean. And they’re all fun.

1. Model cleaning with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. (Yes, even when you’d rather be doing a million other things.)

2. Clean together. (It’s always more fun than cleaning alone, especially when you’re under the age of 10.)

3. Turn on the music and then start cleaning. (It’s easier to focus and incredibly more fun.)

4. Narrate your actions together as you clean either in song or prose (e.g. “I’m dusting the shelf because if I don’t we will all breathe in the dust each day…”)

5. Tell stories about each of the items you clean, whether they be toys being put away in the closet or furniture being dusted with a soft cloth.

We just spent a few hours today scrubbing walls and door knobs, dusting pictures and shelves, and polishing toys galore. Do you like to clean with your kids? And if so, what are some ways you increase the fun level?

Happy spring cleaning!