by Erin Kathleen

Created on: May 09, 2008

The only thing about housekeeping chores that a child enjoys is the allowance many parents hand out for doing them. But all of that can change with a little creativity.

FOR TODDLERS

If your children are between the ages of 3 and 5, you are at the greatest opportunity for convincing them that tidying up can be super fun! Children love games, so turn chores into one. Make cleaning their bedrooms a race. Whoever has a clean room first gets to skip one of the other smaller chores. You might even notice the kids keeping their rooms from getting too out of control later, in order to have a head-start at the race. You can also hand them each a damp washcloth and let them "clean the walls" or dust the tables. See who can make the tallest stack of folded laundry or the biggest pile of dry dishes that you wash. Make a chart that hangs on the wall, revealing all of their hard work. Reward a job well-done with fun little stickers.

FOR OLDER CHILDREN

For those children that are over silly games, but not quite to the point of resenting you yet-there are still ways to keep the household chores fun. You can still keep a chart, but hand out goodies or money for completed tasks. This is a big motivator for adults, why not children as well? Let them help with baking cookies, as long as they agree to help with the clean-up. Let them pick out their outfit for the day, as long as they put away all their laundry. Rewards like these can go a long way and really change a child's attitude about what they are doing. Try singing songs together as you form a dish-washing assembly line or act out a scene from a family favorite movie while you organize your closets.

FOR TEENAGERS

Trade chores for allowances, whether it be money or privileges. This is a sure-fire way of getting a teen to get their work done. Blast some fun music in the background to keep it interesting. (you might even let them pick the music!) Tell stories as you work about past experiences and memories. Believe it or not, teenagers love to know what mom or dad was like when they were their age. Switch off each day with which member of the house does each chore. This keeps it fresh and less mundane. It can be hard to convince a teen that household chores can be fun, but maybe a little reminder to them about how they will need to do these things in their own home soon could be just kick they need. (a reminder of near-future independence is a boost)

You might not be able to turn household chores into something to look forward to, but you can definitely turn it into something that isn't quite so dreaded. Just try to make it seem less like work, and more like quality time for your family. You might end up making some ever-lasting memories just by cleaning up the house!

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