How to get your Whole Family Excited to Clean Up!

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by SC Johnson, all thoughts and opinions remain my own.

 

 

As a child, my parents always had us help out with cleaning up the house every Saturday. We would help with vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, and other chores throughout the house.  At the time I hated having to do these chores, but as an adult, I am glad my parents got us so involved with cleaning as children who have chores tend to become more successful adults.

Getting kids involved with household chores can be incredibly beneficial for everyone, life just gets better for your whole family when you all clean together. Not only can it mean your children becoming more successful as adults, but it can improve quality of life for the whole family as the domestic workload is shared.

Unfortunately, chores probably aren’t high on the list of things your kids want to do, which is why it’s important that you try to make chores more fun and rewarding. Making chores fun and rewarding will help your kids feel more motivated to get them done. Here are a few tips you can use to help motivate your whole family to feel excited about cleaning up.

 

 

Reinforce Positivity Towards Cleaning

There’s nothing like a reward to make hard work seem more fun.

My girls get so excited about having a friend come over for a playdate. Playdates are the perfect chance to cultivate a positive association with cleaning amongst your children. Not only do they feel pride about helping to prepare for play time with their friends, but they feel way more positive about cleaning up and put that much more effort into getting the job done.

This is your chance to demonstrate how cleaning together isn’t a chore but rewarding and fun instead.

 

 

Reward Them

To help your kids have more fun doing their chores, you can set up a reward system. This could be something simple like an extra treat at the end of the week, a sticker chart or even a small weekly allowance for any teenagers in the home. My favourite reward idea is to create a chart of chores and reward with stickers as chores are completed.  The child with the most stickers are the end of the week gets a “Helper of the Week” award.

By setting up a reward system, your children will have something to look forward to, making chores more fun than they would be without a reward!

Blast the Radio

Music is a great way to break up the monotony of chores! The next time you and your kids are taking care of chores, turn on the radio as loud as you can. Sing and dance along to the music as everyone in the family works to get their chores done. Not only will it make your chores more fun, it will also make the time go more quickly.

 

 

Play a Little

Don’t be afraid to play a little if you want chores to be more fun for your kids. If your kids are responsible for sweeping the floors, use your imagination and pretend that the dust bunnies under the couch are real bunnies that need to be corralled into their new cage (the trash can). Your kids will have fun playing a little, and the chores will still get done.

Race to the Finish

If your children are competitive, then this is a great way to make chores more fun for them! Let your children know what their chores are and then on the count of 3, they can race to see who can finish their chores (properly) first. You can even have a chore trophy on hand for the quickest person.

Be a Positive Influence

Like with anything, kids emulate their parents when it comes to their attitude about cleaning. You might dislike cleaning, but it is important to be positive about getting household chores done in order to set a good example.

 

 

There are some chores that I know my girls love to do, and other chores that they do not. Some jobs they actually beg to do – like putting away the clean utensils from the dishwasher.  They might not do the best job at 3 and 5 years old, but they sure do enjoy it!

For  more great tips and ideas to get your family cleaning together, check out comecleanwithus.ca!

 

 

 

What are some ways you get your family more motivated to clean? We’d love to hear from you!