I have three kids in my home and let me tell you chore time can be a nightmare! All three of my children are pretty far apart in age, yet they have always enjoyed putting up a fight when it comes to doing their chores.
I end up yelling or just downright frustrated. I finally realized that I need to start making chore time fun, even for my teen.
How to Make Chores Fun for Kids
Divide the chores up by what the child enjoys doing. I don’t know about you, but I hate laundry! Getting me to do laundry is like pulling teeth, which is why my husband does 80% of the laundry in our home. Your child might not enjoy washing dishes but maybe he loves to fold laundry and your daughter loves to do dishes. Ask your child what chores he or she enjoys. You might be surprised at what a difference it makes if your child is doing chores he or she enjoys.
Make it a game! Try hiding prizes (stickers, candy, extra-time cards for electronics or even a dollar or two for teens) and as they clean the house they’ll find special little treats. The kids will be so eager to clean the whole house!
Turn on the music and dance! Dancing and listening to good music while cleaning always makes it more fun. Instead of spending an hour fighting with your children about doing chores, turn on some music and make it a cleaning dance party. The kids will have a blast and mom will have a big smile. It’s a win for everyone.
Make sure your children know what you expect. Kids will often put up a fight when it comes to their chores because they truly don’t know how to do what’s being asked of them. Each time you give your child a new chore, make sure you show them how to do the chore properly. If your child knows what they are supposed to do, they’ll put up less of a fight.
Thanks for the tips! My 2.5 year old would love a cleaning up dance party!
Kristy Omelianuk recently posted…From Baby Room to Toddler Room
My kids love to clean – when I am participating with them. If I try and have them clean their toy room while I am cleaning the kitchen – it just doesn’t work as well. We like to put on the timer and see how much we can get done in 15 minutes. The other thing my kids love is when I let them wash the floors – I give them rags and they just wipe the floors. This is mainly a warm weather activity, but they do a pretty good job! I just need to go through and dry the floor when they are done 🙂
Heather recently posted…knitting and reading
I agree with you, making it fun is the key! We’ve always taken our cleaning cues from Mary Poppins
“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun, find the fun and snap the jobs a game” Best life lesson ever!
~ Robin ~
Robin recently posted…Going Against the Current
Great tips, love it! My Mr. 6 is very helpful, but fun is a MUST!
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