Getting kids to help around the house seems to be quite the
chore in itself. Even if your kids are
good at getting their chores done, and even if everybody encourages each other
and there isn’t a big issue with chores, it’s still a good idea to make chores
fun sometimes! And for those of you
whose children don’t do their chores happily without being told these ideas will make the task more fun,
and hopefully more enjoyable for everybody.
Some of the following ideas are marked by letters. Y means that the idea is meant for younger
children, age three through grade school.
All other ideas are for children of all ages.
–
Money Surprise:
Occasionally put a dollar in a toy or game that has been lying on the floor for
days. Whoever finally puts the toy away
gets to find the hidden money and keep it.
–
Hidden Treasure:
When a room needs a thorough cleaning, hide a small box that contains money for
a movie night for the whole family, and a special treat like popcorn for
whoever finds it. The whole family will
enjoy searching and cleaning together.
–
Star Power (Y):
Keep a box of star stickers at hand for quick distribution to children for a
job well done. Your young kids will love
proudly showing their star to the rest of the world.
–
Birthday Bonus:
Nobody works on his or her birthday.
Everybody else pitches in and does their chores for them as a gift.
–
Saturday Adventure:
When all Saturday chores are done, the family goes on an “adventure”
together. This can be a game in the back
yard, trip to a museum, movie, etc.
–
Cinderella:
Either one special person or the whole family works like scullery maids until a
specified hour. Then everybody changes
into their good clothes and goes to the “ball” (movie, play, fun outing).
–
Ten Minute
Break: Take a short ten minute break from cleaning to play a game, have a
snack, or otherwise break the monotony.
–
17 Minute Pick
Up: Set the kitchen timer and see how much can get done in under 20
minutes!
–
Role Reversal:
Change roles for an evening, parent as child and child as parent. This is a fun way to see family interaction
from a different angle.
–
Pick Up By Color
(Y): Call out a color, and only items of that color can be put away. This is a fun way to get things done while
teaching colors to the younger kids.
–
Age Game (Y):
Have everybody put away as many items as they are old.
–
Jump Up and Pick
Up: This is great for couch potatoes.
The entire family gets up during commercials to clean. You can get a lot done during a one-hour
show!
–
Ready, Set, Go!:
Challenge each other to a race to clean bedrooms. You can call out, “bedroom switch!” to mix it
up by having the kids clean each other’s rooms.
These are all great ideas for making chores fun around the
house. They are also a fraction of the
ideas that can be found in http://www.ResponsibleChildren.com,
an eBook by Judy H. Wright. Check it
out, and get even more ideas on making chore time fun time.
