It would be great if all siblings could just get along all of the time and be able to show appreciation for each other. As you probably know, not every day can be filled with peace. Every parent has seen evidence of sibling rivalry or jealousy rear its head from time to time. This is where kids’ chore charts can help.
So what’s the best way to keep the peace? How can reward charts for kids help them have fun while working together as a team? By sticking to some sort of daily routine chart, kids will learn about their individual and combined strengths – plus you’ll have a tidy house. Here are 5 great ways to turn chores into exciting games for kids:
The first thing to be aware of when assigning chores to your kids is spreading the workload evenly. Children are sensitive about fairness, which means you’ll either need the chores to be done as a team, or create a chore chart to show who does what.
Shop
Basketball
Is it almost impossible to see the floor in your kids’ bedrooms? If so, it’s time for them to tidy up. Room tidying is one of the best chores for kids because it’s safe, easy, and doesn’t involve any cleaning products. Kids can find it a little boring, so it needs a bit of role play to make it more fun. Choose one sibling to play the customer and one to play the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper needs to find items among the messy shop for the customer to ‘buy’. Once the object is found (or ‘sold’) they can place it back where it goes. To keep it interesting, ask your kids to swap roles regularly.
If there are dirty clothes constantly spread across your kids’ floor, how about you turn the act of picking them up into a game of basketball? It’s just as fun as the real thing – but without the threat of breaking a window. Just place the laundry basket at one end of the room and place a marker which the ‘shooter’ needs to stand behind. Create a goal they need to reach – like six hoops – and challenge them to score the points in the dirty clothes basket. Working together as a team will help them reach their goal and you can create a reward chart for your kids to track their progress.
Scavenger Hunt
It’s not just kids who leave clutter around the house, but they can be excellent helpers when it comes to clearing it all up. Create a list of things that you need to have put away, and use it to create scavenger hunt clues. For example, if you want an old newspaper gone, the clue could be ‘folded sheets of paper delivered each morning’. Older kids might even appreciate the clue: ‘I am black and white and read all over’! The kids will work together to solve the clues before tidying their way through the house. You could easily keep them entertained for hours with this little chore game.
Race Against the Clock
When it comes to folding clean laundry, many hands make lighter work – so bring in your kids’ hands and tell them to race against the timer. Challenge them to fold all of the clothes within a certain time. They’ll need to work out a plan of action, then work as a team to get the job done. One might focus on socks and shirts, where the other could put their folding skills exclusively to pants and underwear. When they’re done, you can note down their time, and then they could try to beat their own record the next time around.
Sing Song Chores
Creative kids always love the chance to show off their artistic abilities. Start by asking your kids to choose a chore, then give them 10 minutes to work out a song they can sing based on that chore. Once they have practised and perfected their brand-new song, all they have to do is complete the chore while they sing their new masterpiece. This a great way to boost their productivity and creativity at the same time. And they can have fun dancing away while they work.
With a little bit of imagination, household chores for kids can be a heap of fun. Even the most boring tasks can be transformed into challenge-based games, allowing them to work together and appreciate each other’s skills and strengths. The end result will be a tidier, more peaceful home.