Think back to when you were a child. Did you enjoy doing your chores? Probably not. And when you did, it was because your parents made them fun. You actually looked forward to cleaning up your room, putting away your toys and helping out with the laundry. To get the kidlets more involved around the house I had to get creative! When you make chores fun the next time you ask for help around the house it won't be like pulling teeth!
6 Tips to Make Chores Fun for Kids
- Use a reward system your child is familiar with – at school the kids have a sticker reward system when they complete tasks, we've incorporated this into a system we can use at home. Using a simple sticker tally method to keep track of their accomplishments works well because the kids can visually see all they've accomplished.
- Throw a scavenger hunt –Instead of telling your child you need help cleaning the entire house, why not have a scavenger hunt? If books, newspapers, clothes and toys need to be picked up, put them on a scavenger list. Reward the kids with a family movie night.
- Have a contest – After breakfast, lunch or dinner, set a timer on 5 or 10 minutes. Tell your children that they have to clean up as quickly as possible before the time expires. This makes doing the dishes or cleaning off the table after a meal more like a game than a chore.
- Take your child shopping – Buy an inexpensive bucket and customize it with your child's name. Then allow him to help you choose his own sponge, paper towel roll, dust rag and other cleaning items. This personalizes the experience of cleaning, and your child will enjoy his sense of ownership.
- Offer an allowance … in some cases – Many paediatricians and other child experts believe that payment in return for chores should only take place once your child is a teenager. But if that is the case, you can instill great workplace habits by rewarding your child's chore completion financially if you believe it will work.
- Use the clutter to hide rewards – You know that loose change in your pocket or purse at the end of the day? Hide it under toys, clothes, books and anything else that you need cleaned up and organized. You can also use snacks and stickers to incentivize performing household chores. I'm not saying do this all the time but switching things up every now and then will keep the kids surprised and motivated.
Hopefully these tips have given you a few new ideas to help make chores fun for the kids. If you want a few ideas on chores your kids can do you'll like the chore chart I use that is organized by age and skills.
Do your kids help with chores around the house?