I don’t know if you heard, but children tend to really, really hate cleaning. I know when I was a child I did anything I could to get my chores done as quickly as possible so I could get back to playing with my friends. But what if I told you cleaning with your kids doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth? Try these five creative games with your children next time you’re cleaning to make the whole process as pain free as possible.
1. Create a cleaning game board. Most of the time what kids hate most about cleaning is being told what to do. To fix this, make a fun, colourful board with various cleaning tasks and moveable pieces. Each child and parent can have designated tokens (get creative!) that they put on the tasks they wish to complete that week. Put some rules in place – teach the values of sharing tasks, accountability and helping out even when we don’t want to.
2. Make a themed clean. Do you have costumes sitting around? Why not dress up and clean! Princesses/princes, doctors, animals, etc. the possibilities are endless!
3. Clean to music. Get your kids input on their favourite, upbeat songs. You want to make sure the music is energetic to keep the energy high and the cleaning cruising. You can add an extra layer to this activity by stopping the music occasionally and instructing your children to freeze in a funny pose. When the music begins again, they continue with the cleaning task they were assigned.
4. Tired of fighting your kids to clean their room? Put a timer on and challenge your children to see who can clean their room the fastest. No cheating though! Make sure they know that their rooms will be inspected to ensure items weren’t quickly thrown under the bed or in the closet. If you really want to up the competition – the child with the cleanest room gets a special prize, treat, sticker etc.
5. Make a scavenger hunt. Hide small treats and toys around your home. Give your children a list of cleaning tasks they need to complete. Instruct them to come see you after they complete each task to receive a clue to the location of one of the prizes.
Let us know how these games worked for you and your children in the comments!
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