Лекция: Try to Make It Fun

Children love games. Try making cleaning into an after school game. Sure it takes some time on your part, but it will be fun, the job will get done, and there won’t be any yelling for a short while.

One of my kids’ favorites is «Attack the Mess». I will hide a favorite snack or fun ticket (such as YOU WIN A FREE HOUR PAST YOUR BEDTIME!) where the mess is and give them instructions like a treasure hunt to find it, with instructions on what to pick up on their way. Make it worthwhile for them!

Children love gadgets. Ever since I got my cordless small vacuum cleaner and cordless carpet cleaner, my kids volunteer to use them. Of course, you have to control their use of it because once they realize it’s only another cleaning tool and not a fun toy, that’ll be the end of that.

Children also love schedules. If they know they can play, play, and play all day without cleaning up but that they must cleanup from 4:00-5:00 pm every day, they can understand that much better than sporadic requests to clean up games they just can’t bear to pick up yet. Children love earning money. I don’t give my kids an allowance but I do pay them for doing certain chores. These are chores of mine which I don’t want to do, like weeding or mopping the bathroom floors. In addition to getting the yuck chores done and having free time for myself, my kids are learning the value of money and that you don’t get money for nothing (an allowance).