Getting children to help out around the house has never been an easy task, but involving them at a young age will not only teach them how to be proactive in the future, but will also build their independence and introduce valuable life lesson skills.
Dull and boring chores need to be a thing of the past, by adding a bit of fun into the mix, your children will soon love ‘chore time’ as much as play time! (well nearly)
1. Create a score chart:
Score charts are great for getting children motivated and giving them a sense of pride for their achievements.
Plus, by keeping a record of how much they are helping round the house will allow you to track their progress for different chores and ultimately show how well they are doing!
It’s always good to keep things fun and interactive and with the use of some handy gold stars and creative ideas such as certificates, for the ‘Helper of the week Award’ your children will love getting involved.
2. Make it a competition:
If your children have a competitive streak then this will work well. By turning chores into a competition, (especially if you have more than one child) getting them to race against each other will help to make tasks more fun.
Plus, by going a step further to give your children nicknames and announce the race in your best sports commentator voice will be sure to make the crowd go wild!
3. Ready, set, go!:
Why not time how long it takes to complete different tasks , then set your children the task of beating that time! Working as a team or as individuals to race against previous scores will make things interesting and maybe they will get a new personal best – practice makes perfect!
4. ‘5-minute frenzy’:
Keeping on top of tasks daily helps to break down the bulk of ‘to do’s’ on the jobs list.
We suggest that every night after dinner to get the children to take part in a 5-minute frenzy of tidying up, whether it’s picking all the clothes off the bedroom floor or putting the toys back into the toybox, little bits go a long way to keeping a house hold looking shipshape!
5. Set a routine:
If Saturday mornings are the time you do most of your cleaning then get the kids involved during this time every week.
Soon enough they will know that Saturday’s are chore days and will start to normalise things rather than pulling shocked faces when asked to clear up the Lego!
Why not give some of these ideas a go next time you are planning chore time.
And if you have your own personal top tips that work a treat for you, let us know – we’d love to hear them