Photograph Credit: iClipart

In training our children to help around the house, this series continues to encourage me to make cleaning fun.

I get caught up in just doing it myself because I can do it faster and better than waiting for my kids to figure it out. However, as I teach them and mentor them, there are six more hands working. In the long run, we can accomplish more together while having fun.

Thus far in this series, we have seen how creating a game for laundry and pickup and providing a tool make cleaning fun for children.

If you have older children who are not interested in these games or using the cleaning tool, then maybe a non-monetary reward will spur them on to motivational cleaning.

Part 3: Give Non-monetary Rewards

Most children – no matter their age – want to know how much they can earn for doing chores. Some families instill an allowance system or a reward chart for completing designated tasks. You may or may not choose one of the options, but children of all ages need encouragement.

My children are young, and rewards are a big deal to them. Wanting to reward them, Paul and I have an allowance system in place, but we also reward along the way with non-monetary awards. Some of our choices include the following rewards:

Family Walk

My kids move so quickly to finish picking up when they know the reward is a family walk through our neighborhood. Loving to go outside, my children desire to ride their bikes, push a baby stroller, or take a stroll as a family. Again, this reward may or may not work with older children. I’m not quite there yet as my children are ages 7, 5, and 2.

Movie Night

All curled up in Daddy and Mommy’s bed under the covers with a bowl of popcorn and a fun movie motivates my kiddos to complete the task requested.

One-on-One Time

Getting the privilege of going grocery shopping, getting nails painted, baking, cooking, or playing a game alone with Daddy or Mommy is a special privilege in our house. Though we try to spend one-on-one time with each of our children each day, Paul and I give extra time as a reward which gets chosen more than the other rewards offered. 🙂

Planned Outing

With numerous outing opportunities, we sometimes choose a reward as a family. Keeping our home looking nice is a group activity. So, when we finish the tasks, we enjoy celebrating our accomplishments together. From a museum visit to a bounce house session to entertaining friends, we find a group reward just as beneficial as an individual award.

As you encourage and teach your children how to clean as part of the family, those sessions don’t need to exude boring and dreaded tasks. Learning along with you, I am trying to make cleaning fun for children and adults.

Life is too short to hate what you are doing. By making a game, providing a tool, and giving non-monetary rewards keeps my children interested and my house maintained.

In using time wisely, keep trying ways to include your children. As they feel part of the family and contribute towards its workings, they will enjoy the rewards, and hopefully, find the process fun. Happy playing!

Question: What rewards do you offer in your home?

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

During busy seasons, just giving my house a once-over is good enough to keep the dust bunnies away. When I know that I cannot get to the deep cleaning, I relax.

No need to worry and stress over a spic-and-span house since it just isn’t going to happen right now. However, I can enlist helpers to assist in a quick cleaning.

In part 1 of this 3-part series, I shared how to make cleaning fun for children by creating a game. Games are fun, but if the older child is winning every time, then the younger ones get discouraged.

To add variety to our household, we give our children a cleaning tool.

Part 2: Provide a Tool

To assist in cleaning our home, I keep a broom, mop, Scrubbing Bubbles, sponges, steam cleaner, buckets, disinfecting wipes, and numerous other items. These tools increase my efficiency which helps in using time wisely.

To make cleaning fun for children, I empower them with a cleaning tool and a responsibility. Armed with their tool, they own their job and enjoy getting our home looking nice. Three of the tools my children use are duster, magic eraser, and vacuum cleaner.

Duster

I keep 3 Swiffer dusters in my cleaning closet. Usually if one of my three children wants to dust, so do the others. To eliminate the “I asked Mom first,” I just keep three. When all three are dusting, I either assign them to a room or to a task.

If assigned by room, then they are not to invade each other’s space. If assigned by task, then they need to work together. My toddler loves to dust the baseboards. She can reach all of them and enjoys getting behind the furniture and under the tables.

Giving my toddler a task and my older two a room, the job gets done quicker. However, my toddler does not always hang in there as long as the other two. By combining the options, I have more flexibility. My choice one day will differ from another day depending on how my children are working together.

In keeping the cleaning fun, Paul jumps in to dust the ceiling fans as he reaches just fine. I, on the other hand, would need a chair. 🙂 I usually manage the cleaning routine and help as needed during the entire process.

Magic Eraser

My favorite cleaning tool ever is the Mr. Clean magic eraser! When I get that broom scuff on the wall or the crayon scribble on the table, the magic eraser restores the wall and table back to normal.

Though a bit tough to scrub, I allow my children to clean up the messes that require the magic eraser. My girls do a great job using this sponge to eliminate the crayon from their desks and craft table.

Vacuum Cleaner

Where my toddler runs from the “loud” vacuum cleaner, my older children love to vacuum the floors. With an upstairs vacuum and a downstairs vacuum, I can accommodate both of them. Of course, there is no quiet for my 2-year-old, but she survives. 😉

With a special tool like a duster, magic eraser, or vacuum cleaner, children want to help clean. For them, the use of a special tool is cool.

Now, my children are young, so these tools are big deals. If you have older children, then maybe a pressure washer, steam cleaner, or Swiffer mop might encourage them to do their chores while having fun (though they probably won’t admit it :-)).

As you work smarter rather than harder, make cleaning fun for your children, and they will ask for more ways to help. In using time wisely, a little planning for fun really pays off. Enjoy these times with your family while maintaining your home. Happy playing!

Question: What cleaning tools do your children want to use?

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

I am not great at delegating. Whew . . . I said it. When it comes to working with children, I am learning how to teach my children while delegating responsibilities to them.

Sometimes allowing them to help is more work than just doing it myself, but I need to teach them to contribute.

In my family, the key is to make cleaning fun. From my many experiments, I will share in this series some strategies that work in my household.

Please share in the comments what you have found to work in yours as I’m learning and love the extra help.

How to Make Cleaning Fun for Children

• Create a Game – Part 1a and 1b
• Provide a Tool – Part 2
• Give Non-monetary Rewards – Part 3

Part 1: Create a Game

My children love to play games. From matching to Candy Land to Sorry!, my children thrive on the goal of reaching the finish line. Moving this natural desire for accomplishment from a board to our house not only shows them how to apply their knowledge in one area to another, but also how to confidently take on new tasks.

Though any task can convert to a game, we play the following games while keeping our house organized and cleaned up:

Who Makes the Most Points?

With our top-loading washing machine, I love the extra help adding clothes to the washer. With the open washer acting as a basketball goal and backboard, my son and older daughter see how many items they can accurately “shoot” into the washing machine.

Though the tasks takes a bit longer than if I just loaded the clothes, those moments are filled with laughter, giggling, and “scores.”

A benefit for me is letting my children exert their energy while I monitor the process. They have a blast and enjoy helping. As they discover that household tasks are fun, they want to help more. 🙂

For a variation, allow children to pickup their dirty clothes and another clothes or towels around the house and “shoot” them into the laundry hamper or basket.

Where’s the Match?

My older daughter loves patterns, games, and puzzles. She sees patterns in everyday life, and I enjoy finding ways to encourage her and strengthen her desire to learn. A game she loves to play is matching the socks. When the basket of clean laundry arrives via Dad, brother, or Mom, she runs to find the socks.

At the beginning, I had her put them all in a pile. I then checked that all the socks were inside-out, then she began matching them. As she has grown, she is beginning to correct the socks before matching. This game has become her own in our house because “how dare anyone take her socks.” 🙂

In using time wisely, games like Who makes the most points? and Where’s the match? help to make cleaning fun for children. Empowered with the rules and the goal, they can seize the task and accomplish it while having fun.

In next week’s installment, I will share two additional games my children enjoy which helps me save energy and time. Happy playing while accomplishing!

Question: What tasks do your children find fun?