Kids have many talents, but if yours are anything like ours, doing their chores regularly and properly is not one of them.
Sure, no one likes scrubbing the toilet or unloading the dishwasher – not even dear old mum and dad – but the fact of the matter is that kids have got to learn responsibility somewhere, and jobs around the house are a great place to start.
If you’re regularly met with cries of ‘but that’s boring’ or ‘I don’t WANT to’ when cleaning time rolls around, you might be in need of a few extra tricks and tips – and that’s exactly what we’ve got up our sleeves for you here.
Here are 13 genius ways to get your kids pulling their weight. And yes, they involve some bribery…
1. Make life easier for them by putting all the materials they’ll need for one job in a handy basket
Image: Joyful Homemaking
If you hand them some Pledge and a duster, it gets really tricky to come up with an excuse not to dust.
2. These stamp cards, which are available to purchase, give kids a visual incentive (well, that and the reward at the end!)
Image: Etsy
You can purchase your own instantly-downloadable set from Etsy.
3. Laminated tick cards ensure they’re not sneakily skipping any of the tricky bits
Image: Mads Memories
Simply use dry-erase pens and wipe clean again for next time.
4. Organising chores by day of the week is a good way to give a sense of structure
Image: Etsy
Ticking items off day by day means they won’t be overwhelmed by everything they haven’t done at the end of the week.
5. Turning chores into a game is incredibly effective with younger kids
Image: Pinterest
Another variation on this is to put everything that needs to be tidied away into a tub, and see who can empty theirs first.
6. This reusable chart mimics a clothesline, in case you’re hoping life will imitate art…
Image: Gingerly Made
Write the names of the jobs to be completed on the pegs and move them along as they’re completed.
7. If your brood like their bits and bobs to be personalised, this magnetic number is a winner
Image: Etsy
A bit of competition between sibling to get the most magnets is never a bad thing.
8. This clever rhyme encourages redemption through chores – do a job, win back a treasured item
Image: Pinterest
Now you just have to find a receptacle big enough for the X-Box…
9. While a ‘toy jail’ is a more straightforward version for mini rulebreakers
Image: The Chic Site
Poor Olaf. Bet he never thought he’d be doing time.
10. The uh-oh jar works on the same principle, but the randomness of the tasks makes it more interesting…
Image: Wondermom Wannabe
Making the bed, or cleaning the bathroom floor? If you’ve been naughty, the jar will decide…
11. A points system is helpful if you don’t want to give out cold hard cash
Image: Kris and Larry
We love that the rewards include hanging out with mum and dad!
12. Or you could try a ‘rewards store’ of desirable toys and snacks
Image: When The Pigs Fly
We’d probably feel more motivated to hang the laundry if there were a chocolate bar at the end of it, too…
13. And if all else fails? Use the most tried and tested motivator of all: show them the money
Image: The Chic Site
Anyone else wishing someone would make one of these for them, too?