5 Ways to Make Chores Fun for Kids

Getting my 4 (ok the baby is too little still- so 3) kids to help around the house is hard.  There are often tears, whining, hiding, pretend illnesses, coughing fits….the list of ways they try to get out of it is long!

If you are like me,  you’d like your kids to do chores around the house with little to no argument.  In most cases, this is easier said than done.  There are a few ways to get a little more compliance and a little less fight.  Check out some of the tips below for inspiration.

1. When choosing chores, choose age appropriate chores and don’t expect too much.  Each child has different strengths and abilities, and if they aren’t capable of completing their chore to your high standards, they’re likely to get discouraged and not try at all.  It’s better to have to redo “missed spots” than to have nothing done at all.  Practice makes perfect.  Remember that the main purpose of chores is to teach responsibility and work ethic, not to have a spotless home (which is honestly impossible with 4 kids anyway!). I know that my son is incapable of seeing the dirt under the table while his twin sister cannot wash a window to save her life.  She uses 500 paper towels on a single window and it’s still streaky.  Give her a broom though, and she attacks those crumbs like a pro and his windows sparkle with a single rag!
2. Think outside of the box.  If a chore entails washing a floor, buy a pair of mop slippers and let them slide around while doing it.  They may want to do the entire house!  You can also get just about every cleaning, gardening, and household tool in a funky print or pattern.  Everything is more fun for children when it’s fun to look at.  Wouldn’t you rather sweep with a zebra broom than a plain one?  If you’re on a budget, you can use stickers or designer duct tape to decorate the tools for pennies.  One of my daughter’s favorite games when she was 5 was to play Cinderella.  I had to be the evil stepmother but my floors got washed- BY HAND.
3. Play some upbeat music.  Since adults move faster and have more fun when their favorite songs are playing in the background, it only makes sense to think that a child would enjoy a little background concert as well.  There’s nothing wrong with dancing through chores.  Let them pretend the feather duster or dish wand is a microphone – they can be a rock star in their own home.
4. If you have more than one child, throw a little healthy competition into the mix to get them motivated.  For example, whoever can get their chores done first is the “winner”.  When we play the music- whoever finishes before the song is up gets to pick the next song- this only works for quick jobs though.
5. Don’t underestimate the power of rewards.  The reward can be money, a special treat, or even a book from the library – it doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s something the child wants.  Be careful with this one though.  If you reward them for everything they do, it will backfire and they won’t want to help with anything unless they get something in return. Rewards don’t have to be tangible.  Try letting the “winner” choose the dinner menu or what television program they’ll watch that day.  In our house, the one who does their chore the best gets to pick what chore they want tomorrow- everyone else gets whatever Mom choses to give them randomly!  No one ever picks cleaning the living room- that’s the messiest place of all- they always pick washing the table after dinner!  Sometimes we use the power of a Red Box movie- whomever gets their laundry put up (properly again is the key word) gets to start watching it.  As they finish they can go to watch as well- but they know the longer they take the less of the movie they get to see.

I think every mom wishes their children will help out because they want to, but the truth is sometimes they need a little extra encouragement to get the job done.  As a matter of fact, we all do!  You may just find that while making chores more fun for your kids, you make them more fun for yourself as well.