With Christmas approaching, your kids might be home from school and wreaking havoc on your house! Are you like me, constantly nagging your kiddos to clean up after themselves, or reminding them that before they take out a new toy, they need to put one away? By making cleaning up a fun game, not only can you accomplish your goal of a clean room, but your kids can actually enjoy the process. It’s a win-win. Edna Thomson from Home Cleaners Wimbledon has 5 FUN games that will help get your kids involved in cleaning!
Game #1 : The Race
Give your kids a time frame and write down how many chores they managed to do for the time period you assigned. The next time they are cleaning, they have to try to outdo their scores. Whether they will be competing against each other or with themselves, they will be super motivated to beat last time’s scores. You can count on that. If your children are the competitive type, chances are they will be very enthusiastic about this game. Before you know it, all the stuff scattered haphazardly about the floor will be put back in its assigned place.
Game #2: The Containers
Here is another fun game to get your children to tidy up their messes. Place a few big plastic containers around the room. One of the containers could be used for disposing of stuff you don’t need. Respectively, the other containers could be used for toys, clothes and anything else that is out of place. Have your children locate these items and throw them into the containers while standing at a distance from them. The objective of each player is to shoot as many items as possible into the bin. Whoever makes the most baskets is the winner.
Game #3: The Maid
Get some cleaning uniforms and allow them to dress up like maids. You don’t have to get too carried away with the outfit. A couple of aprons will make do. Assign different tasks for each maid and watch them tidy and clean the room. You can be sure that the kids will take the job seriously.
Game #4: The Pirates
As far as I can remember, children love playing pirate games. Why not have them disguise as pirates and clean their room in the meantime? Have them act like pirates. They may sing pirate songs, talk like pirates, etc etc etc. Wondering where to get a pirate costume? Check Halloween decorations at stores or ask your neighbors/friends to lend one.
Game #5: The Dance
If it’s difficult to coax your children into doing a few chores, try dancing as your last resort. Put some music on, give them clear directions as to what they should do (pick up the plush toys, put your Legos in the black box, make your bed, put your dirty clothes into the washing basket, etc.)
And finally…
Think of appropriate awards. See, your kids will kind of expect that. Even if they enjoy themselves a great deal while cleaning and decluttering, they will still be up for a prize. If they do the job right, they will deserve one anyway. Possible awards include: letting your children opt out of a cleaning job of their choosing, allowing extra playtime, letting them stay up later than usual (just this one time), giving them a treat, allowing them to watch their favorite TV show or series, etc. Enjoy cleaning together.
Photo Credit: Michael Newton
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