6 Fun Ways to do Chores With Your Family

Teaching your children to do chores at a young age not only helps to lighten your load, but also helps teach them how to be responsible and self-reliant. When kids help their family around the house, they gain skills in management, prioritizing tasks, and basic organization that will last a lifetime.

Chores don’t have to be a bore though!  There are so many creative ways to have fun while doing chores. Here are some great ideas to get your family excited about the great game of cleaning.

1. Provide incentives.

Tell your child that she can enjoy rewards from dusting all of the shelves (at child’s reach) in your house. A creative way to do this is by hiding treats, stickers, or pennies in, on, or under knickknacks or books.

2. Make a list.

This is a great way to have your kids compete to see who can do the most chores. Hang a list of chores in the kitchen and give a different set of stickers to each child. Every time a child completes a chore, have him mark the list with one of his stickers. At the end of the week, you can see who did the most chores by the amount of stickers they have on the list. Give them a small reward, such as a few candies or a small toy, for being the Helper of the Week.

3. Play “Go Fish.”

Use a basket of clean laundry to play go fish. Separate the socks among the players, leaving a pile to draw from. Each player, in turn, will hold up a sock and ask another player if she has the matching sock. If the answer is no, then the asking player has to take a sock from the draw pile. When all the socks are matched, the player with the most pairs wins!

4. Get creative.

Use any leftover, unmatched socks as dust mitts for your child. Place your child’s hand inside the clean sock and teach them how to use it as a superhero puppet that gets stronger powers by eating more dust.

5. Have a scavenger hunt.

Make a list of everyday items that never get put back – such as shoes, magazines, cups, and toys. Set a timer for five minutes and have your kids go around the house collecting these items and putting them back where they belong. Whoever picks up the most items and returns them to their rightful spots is the winner.

6. Make a cleaning caddy.

You can turn any old bucket into a personalized cleaning caddy for your child. Grab a permanent marker and write each child’s name on the bucket, then ask them to decorate it with stickers or other drawings. You can put cleaning supplies such as sponges, dust rags, and paper towels inside. This is a great way to make each child feel special during chore time.

At the end of the day though, chores are much more than just fun and games. At Prep Academy, we believe that chores are a great way to help children reach their full potential. We encourage each family to play an active role in helping motivate their child to take on responsibilities around the house. By playing the great game of chores with your whole family, you are also helping develop one of our core values – teamwork. When children and parents work together on something, both will benefit from collaboration. Parents can always use the extra help, and children learn invaluable skills that will benefit them for a lifetime!