by Annette Lyon

As parents, we know it’s important to teach our children the value of work. But even after teaching them to do the job, there’s the trick of getting them to actually do it—without nagging.

Try some of the tips below. No method will work all the time for all kids, but that’s okay. I’ve found that shaking things up a bit from time to time can keep kids willing to work.

Even Little Ones Can Work

My youngest child, a preschooler, certainly can’t mop a floor or mow the lawn like her older siblings can. But she’s still part of the family, and as such, I can find easier chores for her.
While it’s tempting to do them myself—I know I can do it better or faster—it’s important that she too contributes to the family.

So instead of lumping entire rooms into a single chore, I split them up by difficulty. In the bathroom, a toddler can change towels, empty the trash, and maybe even clean the mirror, while an older sibling can scrub the shower, the toilet, and the floor.

Daily Chores

In addition to having our Saturday bigger chores, each child has an assigned daily chore. These vary by age and ability, and we rotate them every six months. Daily chores include things like taking out the garbage and recycling, emptying the dishwasher, picking up the family room or living room, and sweeping the kitchen. The littlest one gets a daily chore as well, even if it’s a small one.

Checklists

Children often need a way to mark progress so they can keep going without getting discouraged. To help, we create checklists for each child on Saturday morning, complete with a box next to each chore to mark when it’s done. When our children were too young to read, we’d draw a picture representing each job.

They love toting their lists around the house and making nice, big red X’s in each box as they go. It keeps them motivated and on track.

The Mystery Chore Method

During summers when chores seem more boring than watching grass grow—and the kids are itching to get outside and play in that grass—we sometimes do things the “mystery” chore way. On slips of paper (or even better, on cardstock), write down all the chores that need to be done to get the house clean over a 1- or 2-week period. Label two envelopes, one as “To Do” and the other, “Done.”

Each weekday, the children draw out a certain number of slips. As each chore is complete, the slips go into the “Done” envelope. By the time the “To Do” envelope is empty, the house has gotten one thorough cleaning. Dump the slips back into the “To Do” envelope and start over.

A Little Guidance

When one of my girls was younger, I sent her off to clean her room. Half an hour later, it didn’t look any better. Near tears, she said, “Mom, it’s too hard. I can’t do it.”

She was fully capable of making her bed, cleaning up her toys, and putting her dirty clothes away. But the scope of the job intimidated her; she couldn’t figure out where to start. Instead of cleaning for her, I went to her room and gave directions. “Put those four books on the shelf. Good. Now pick up those Barbies.” When I broke the job down into manageable bits, she kept on track and got the job done—and I didn’t do it for her.

Games

Younger children especially need motivation, and that’s where getting creative can help. A few ideas we’ve tried:

• Give each child a small plastic cup. You keep the cups—and a bag of chocolate chips or other small treat—nearby. When given a signal, the kids race around the dirty room, picking up messes, including garbage and small toys. Each time they reach 10 items cleaned (or another pre-determined number), they get a chocolate chip into their cup.

• Identify one area that needs cleaning. Set a timer for five or ten minutes, promising that after it goes off, the kids can be done. Then see how much everyone can do in that short period. Knowing the end is near can be liberating for children. Clean during the countdown as well; kids work faster when you’re at their side.

• Using sticky notes, write down all the chores that need to be done today, one note per chore. Then stick them all over a door or wall. Each child must to do a certain number of chores (say 4 or 5), but gets to pick only one at a time. As soon as the first chore is complete, they can claim their second one by pulling it off the door. Kids will be motivated by knowing that if they hurry, they’ll get to do the chores they want to do.

Combining chores and kids sometimes feel like oil and water, but for their sake, it’s important that you keep at it and teach them to work. Use some of these ideas—and come up with more of your own. One day, they just might thank you.