Household chores can be boring and finding a realistic and easy method of making them fun can be difficult. Even then, house chores are critical tasks that everyone must do. You will get stressed if you’re doing most of the chores alone. However, you can change that by communicating clearly and dividing duties among other family members. Your family may not realize how much you want them to assist with the chores unless you speak up. Be specific in mentioning how you want them to tackle family chores without accusing them of neglect. Express honesty about your feelings, so your family understands the importance of cleaning. Instead of asking members to help generally, plan early and assign everyone duties so they know what to do. That way, everyone will beware of their role. After assigning duties, you need to turn them into exciting games to eliminate boredom and ensure everyone completes their tasks satisfactorily. Here are various methods of doing so.
Small-Scale Cleaning Kits and Scavenger Hunting
This strategy is ideal for people with young kids. Often, children in this age group enjoy mimicking what grown-ups do. Include them in fun by providing them with a mini cleaning kit. Allocate a small section to clean alongside the rest of the family members and let them clean, dust, and wipe. Your house is the right place to do a scavenger hunt as the kids do family chores. Scavenger hunting is ideal for the entire family. Establish an entire chain of prizes and hints on where to find them. To get a hint, every family member should first complete a small task like filling drinking water bottles, sweeping the floor, wiping down the doors or taking the trash out. Ensure the prize after the hunt is worthwhile.
Create a Chore Chart and Hide Treats
Housework is a combination of small and big tasks. To complete them all without getting weary, you must spread them evenly among the family members. A chores chart illustrates what each family member should do. Once everyone completes their tasks, put a sticker or star on the chart. The family member with many stickers or stars can be rewarded once on the weekends. You can also convert the house into a mini treasure trail. Hide small chocolates, stickers, or coins in the furniture or the yard. Allocate each member for different tasks like dusting and cleaning the house thoroughly. The older children can mulch the plants in the yard. As they tackle family chores, they will unveil the treats one by one.
Escape Room
You can convert the escape room into an exciting household activity. An escape room is a game where a team gathers in a themed room and devises a strategy to break out from the room. Assemble the entire family in the sunroom and activate a timer. Have the members complete tasks there during the set time. Set rewards for members who complete chores on time and lively punishments for those who don’t meet the deadlines. Rewards, in this case, can be additional screen time or an opportunity to substitute one task for another.
Dice and the Speed Race
Get a dice and allocate a matching household task to every member. Each member gets an opportunity to roll the dice and executes the chore on the number it lands on. Whether they help with arranging the dining room furniture, cleaning the windows, folding the laundry, or mopping floors, using the dice is a dispute-free method of assigning chores. You can have a second dice to assign older children more tasks. The speed race is one of the most effective methods of encouraging everyone to tackle family chores. Ask members to execute a tidying task and time them as they do it. Doing this regularly allows them to improve their time. Family members can also race against one another. Create a star sticker-based scoreboard to indicate the winners of every round.
The Magic Portion
Select something in the house that should be thrown out, put away, picked up, or straightened. These can be misplaced toys, cluttered paper on the floor, or dirty utensils that should be taken to the sink. Write it on a piece of paper or stow it mentally. Tell family members that you have selected a magic portion or one item in the house that should be straightened, put away, or picked up. Give them five minutes to try and find the magic piece. Once the five minutes lapse, ask them who put away unwanted jewelry. The member who did so wins the game and gets rewarded. Prizes can be as simple as a sticker, an opportunity to select the movie for the next family movie night, or an extra dessert serving. Sometimes you may reward a family member for doing the most chores instead of waiting to select the magic portion at the end of the game.
Sock-Match and Laundry Contest
Pairing socks and putting them away is a good way of avoiding the hustle of finding matching socks on busy mornings. One effective way of achieving this is by making it a contest. Assemble all clean socks in a heap, and shout go! Your family members will race to find and match the socks until all the socks are paired. The person with the most well-matched pairs wins the game. Have a whistle at hand, blow it, name a color of your choice and watch the rest of the family members dash to their rooms. The first member to return with all their dirty laundry in the said color wins the contest. The laundry contest is an energetic, fun, and competitive method to tackle home chores and sort clothes depending on their colors.
Toy Pile Disassembly, Freeze Dance, and Room Makeover
Clearing a room of cluttered toys can be a daunting task. Try putting all toys in a pile on one end of the floor and have the children disassemble the pile one toy at a time. Ask them to have a goal on how fast they clear the pile and see whether they succeed. You can convert the freeze dance into a fun way to tackle family chores. Play energized and fun music and let the children dance as they arrange as many toys as possible before the music stops. Start and stop the music until the children clear the entire room. Allow your children to take photos of their rooms and cabinets before cleaning them. Have them take photos after the task is done and compare the images. Doing so is rewarding and encourages children to keep their rooms tidy.
How to Get Family Members Involved in Doing Family Chores
The holidays are an ideal time to train and ensure everyone knows how to tackle family chores. If everything goes well, children will continue being responsible beyond the holidays. Start with a family discussion and ensure everybody knows the importance of doing household chores. Maintain a light but firm tone, reiterating that everybody must maintain cleanliness to improve indoor air quality. Address issues as they arise during the discussion and agree on the best way for everyone to tackle family chores. Before the family meeting, consider discussing the relevant issues with your partner. That way, you can show unity to the other family members.
Be Organized and Plan Schedules
Organize and plan your chores. Purchasing laundry room organization systems can be an ideal starting point. Ensure every family member has a task to execute in the house and allocate duties based on every member’s ability. For example, watering plants or wiping tables after meals are easy tasks your children can do easily. Leave strenuous tasks like doing laundry to the older family members and ensure the kids clean their toys at the end of the day. Having a monthly, weekly, and daily schedule for your household chores is critical.
Share the schedules with each family member or create personalized schedules for each person. For example, suppose your eldest son will inspect the family’s rental apartments at the end of the month. Include extra tasks and specific instructions like checking for roof damage and ensuring the lighting and alarm systems are working accordingly. Have a practice run of your schedule with the family members where you show them how to execute a task well. For instance, teach children how to wash a mop thoroughly after cleaning the house. Explain your standards and expectations during the session. Avoid being fussy the first time members tackle family chores but reiterate the importance of sustaining standards that fulfill your expectations.
Do Household Chores Together and Maintain Positivity
One of the effective ways to have everyone tackle family chores is to do it as a team. You can do so during the weekend when every member is present. Set specific timings to get everybody occupied and have them complete their tasks in time to attend to their other commitments. Working together reduces wrangles among children. Nobody wants to be scolded for not doing a task well. There is a positive and better communication method without turning family members off. Maintain a positive approach and tone and praise members when they do a good job. Take time to guide, offer advice, explain, and give tips where necessary.
Importance of Teaching Household Chores From an Early Age
Household chores are necessary for everyday life. Executing them facilitates efficient home running while creating a clean and organized environment that promotes good overall safety and health. Involving the entire family in executing household chores allows them to become active participants in the home. Children start seeing themselves as crucial family contributors. Holding children liable for their tasks makes them more responsible. They feel more competent in meeting their obligations and completing their tasks. Children who tackle family chores regularly gain essential life skills they can use for the rest of their lives. Whether mopping the floor or making their bed, helping with household chores gives children a sense of achievement and purpose. Helping out with household tasks helps children become good citizens.
Prepares Children for Employment, Teaches Empathy, and Makes Life Easier
Learning how to execute household tasks is a critical predecessor to employment. Chores allow parents to determine what their children excel in and can pursue as a career in the future. Teaching household chores such as automotive detailing can be energy, time-consuming, and challenging. However, in the end, your efforts will pay off as your children learn to execute their chores independently, relieving you of some responsibilities. When children understand the outcome of making mistakes, they will think twice before doing anything. Helping others and improving their lives is an effective way of teaching empathy. Once your children complete a task, thank and appreciate them.
Teaches Collaboration While Influencing Success as Grown-Ups
Ensure all your children collaborate to tackle family chores. Children without siblings can collaborate with you to execute the household chores. When children work together, they must master the art of compromising and determining who executes specific tasks. That helps them to understand a wide range of roles while enabling them to be flexible. According to studies, children who engage in household chores from a young age are highly likely to succeed as adults. The study suggested that these children have excellent relationships as adults and are less likely to abuse drugs. Allocating duties to children increases their confidence in their ability to complete them.
Doing Household Chores Makes Children More Mature
Children who do household chores are highly likely to succeed in school. Having your child help out at home helps them develop self-discipline and strengthens their character, which is a crucial learning tool. Further, chores prepare young adults to serve others. Children who participate in household tasks will likely engage in community service. Chores train them to put the needs of others first. One of the core reasons why everyone should tackle family chores is to promote family unity. By serving at home, children realize how valued they are.
Household chores don’t have to be boring anymore. Use these tips to convert them into fun activities every family member wants to participate in.
