Daily Idea #56: Chores

It’s Friday! In our house that means that it’s cleaning day and since everyone is responsible for helping around the house, this means everyone is involved in some way, shape, or form.

There are a few ways you can turn cleaning in a game; I am going to give you two ideas with which to have fun.

1) Turn matching putting away socks into a game of HORSE

Have your child find all of their own matching socks. Show them how to roll them up and fold them together. Once they have their pairs matched get the game started.

Open the sock drawer (or, as in our house, get their sock/underwear basket out), set a spot from where they can shoot, and have them try to make the shot in the drawer or basket. For every shot they miss they get a letter (H-O-R-S-E). Whomever gets all their socks in before finishing the word HORSE wins.

2) Sweep it up

In two separate rooms set up a 4inX4in square with painters tape or masking tape (this is not a necessity but it helps keeping the pile or dust/dirt together for little kids).

Challenge your “players” to sweep their assigned room and see who can get the most dust/dirt into their square.

Alternatively, if you don’t have many floors to sweep and instead need to use a vacuum, start with an empty vacuum and have each child vacuum their assigned room. When they are finished mark the outside of the vacuum with a piece of tape to the line where it got filled. Empty the vacuum in between each child’s turn and whomever has the highest tape mark wins.