Get your toddler cleaning – it's fun and good for their gross motor development!

Toddlers love to clean. We know this might not quite feel true – as toddlers can also be the messiest people in the house by far – but while they might not yet have the skills to keep everything neat and tidy, when given the opportunity toddlers often enjoy the act of cleaning itself. Putting away dishes, wiping a table, mopping a spill, using a dustpan or sweeping with a broom, the act of cleaning itself is something toddlers are often drawn to, and with good reason. 

Toddlers’ bodies are growing and changing, they’re getting taller, stronger and more coordinated, all of which means they can be successful in a wider variety of tasks. They are also looking for opportunities to challenge and build on the physical skills they’re learning.  

Cleaning is a very physical task, and often involves a lot of muscles or movements which don’t happen very naturally. Think of the sweeping motion of your arms as you use a broom, or the repeated movement of putting plates away.  

This opportunity to move and stretch their body in a new way, while also feeling a sense of achievement through your reaction to their cleaning, might be why toddlers are so drawn to help

Sweeping with a broom or brush, and mopping the floor, is a perfect example of how one act can support your toddler’s development in many ways. 

Handling the broom while standing, and then moving it smoothly, requires a strong sense of balance and good core strength in their tummy and back to hold themselves upright 

Your toddler won’t have been able to try using a broom effectively until they had these skills, and as they sweep they will be building on and improving their balance and core strength, too!  

Your toddler will be challenging their developing ability to use bilateral coordination – the movement of both arms together 

Handling and moving the broom will require both arms and hands, sometimes moving in a similar way and sometimes one at a time to adjust their hold or change direction.  

Bilateral coordination is incredibly important for many tasks we do in day-to-day life, and takes lots of practice to develop making cleaning a great opportunity for your toddler!  

Sweeping requires your toddler to use their gross motor skills alongside their senses, and cognitive skills, to get the job done 

As well as all the large muscle strength, control and power needed to sweep, your toddler is having to combine these gross motor skills with information from their senses as they see where to go or avoid bumping into things (mostly). It also requires them to use their cognitive skills to plan where to go next, or perhaps problem solve how to sweep a particularly tricky space.  

This combination of different streams of development means they are learning how to integrate the skills they have been learning to achieve their goal, and the sense of satisfaction when they do is worth the extra time involved in letting your toddler take charge of some cleaning!