I’m having a tough time getting my kids to pitch in with cleaning. Whenever I ask them to tidy up or help out with chores, it turns into a struggle. They always seem to complain and take their time, which makes everything drag on.
I’ve heard some parents have figured out how to make cleaning a fun activity for their kids, but I’m not sure where to start. What strategies or approaches have you found effective? I’d love to hear some practical suggestions that don’t involve spending a lot of money.
We accidentally discovered that putting on a favorite TV show in the background makes cleaning way less painful. My kid will vacuum or dust while half-watching, and suddenly twenty minutes have passed without any complaints.
Also tried making up silly stories about the mess. Like pretending the scattered toys are escaped zoo animals that need to get back to their homes. Sounds ridiculous but it worked for a while when she was younger.
Some days nothing works though and we just power through it together.
We turn it into competitions between the kids. Who can sort their Legos fastest or make their bed better.
Also found that giving them ownership of specific areas works. My 9-year-old is in charge of the playroom and takes pride in keeping it organized.
Sometimes I just clean alongside them instead of directing from across the room.
my 5 year old loves when we pretend to be different characters while cleaning. last week we were robots making beeping sounds while picking up blocks. the week before we were chefs organizing our kitchen ingredients.
I noticed they get more excited when I let them choose what we pretend to be. sometimes we’re astronauts collecting space rocks or dinosaurs gathering food.
we also started a simple point system where they get a coin for each task. they can trade coins for extra story time or picking our weekend movie. still figuring out if this creates good habits long term though.
what age did your kids start enjoying cleaning games? wondering if mine will stay interested as they get older.
Music has been a total game changer in our house! We put on upbeat songs and see who can clean up their area before the song ends.
My kids also love having their own cleaning supplies - I got them small spray bottles with just water and colorful microfiber cloths. They feel so grown up having their own tools.
We also do “cleaning treasure hunts” where I hide small treats or stickers around the room, and they find them while putting things away. Sometimes I’ll set a timer for 10 minutes and we race to see how much we can get done together.
What really works is celebrating the small wins. Even if they just make their bed or put toys in the bin, I make sure to notice and say something positive about it. They’ve started asking to help more often now!