Tips of the Week...Cleaning.

This week’s tips are all about the dreaded house cleaning!

Some of these ideas have come from friends, or I read them somewhere. But each I tweaked to make it work for me and my boys and they have been easy to implement and incredibly helpful.

The Amazing Cleaning Race. This idea I submitted to Disney’s Family Fun magazine and I was excited that it got published in the April 2010 edition. For this game, each of my sons draws a card from a jar. The card shows a toy or group of toys that must be put away. When he is finishes his card, he draws another. When all cards are gone, the person with the most card wins our traveling trophy.

10 Minute Sweep. We set the kitchen timer to ten minutes and during that time we all quickly go through the house and pick up, put things away, and complete chores. Typically one of the boys sets the timer and then I walk around the house identifying things that need to be done and assign tasks to each of my sons and myself. While we are completing each task, I am encouraging them to move fast. When the timer rings, they must complete the task that they are working on and then they are free to go and play.

Jar of Rocks. I have charts hanging in our mud room with pictures of household chores and each is awarded a point value. If they complete identified task they receive the identified amount of rocks. When each child fills their jar, they are awarded a prize. Our prizes include: a trip to the dollar store, a fun activity with either mom or dad, or extra time to watch a video.

How do you involve your kids in cleaning and chores?

Kim :)