A Game Plan to Make Chores Fun for Kids

Oh, those dreaded chores. We don't like them, and we sure don't expect our children to like them, but since they
have to be done, why not try and make a game out of it? First, start referring to the chores or housework as projects. Also, I have noticed if I tell my kids at least a few hours in advance about upcoming projects they handle it better because they are mentally prepared. Also, tell them its going to be a lot more fun this time, and explain how it will work (as you will see in the scenario below).

Children love to pretend they are grown up, so this is the perfect opportunity to tell them you will be playing a "grown up" game. For this game, you will be assigning executive titles such as a Creative Director and a Project Manager. If you have more than two children, you can either have multiple directors and managers, or you can split it up per chore. Be sure to tell them the CEO (a.k.a. Parent) has the right to override any unfair decisions.

The Creative Director will make a plan for the project and can decide the order things are done as well as evenly
delegating responsibilities. The Project Manager can handle problems, review the results upon completion and give recommendations. Either way, each child still contributes to the chores, but this way they are given an extra
grown up responsibility for the project. It helps children get into their respective roles if you give each of them a clipboard to record their plans, sketches, notes, etc.

The Scenario:

It's time to clean the bathrooms so my daughter will be the Creative Director. Therefore, she will decide which bathroom is cleaned first and who cleans what. She will be able to pick out which towels and cleaning products we'll use and gives recommendations for the order of how things should be done. She sometimes draws a sketch or makes an outline detailing her plan for the success of this project.

At the same time, my son will be the Project Manager. While he doesn't have a lot of work to do up front, he knows he has some big, executive responsibilities on his shoulders. He will be the one who makes sure we have everything we need and prepares for and handles any problems that might occur. He also does the final walk through reporting on what was done successfully and what needs a little more work.

While all this is going on, I am assisting in helping the project become a success. I'm there for questions and to help them as needed.

This has worked for years at hour house, and my kids love it. I have found if we respect our kids by giving them
such prestigious titles and jobs, they will surpass our expectations and best of all the chores will be done without any struggles. Plus, it's just plain fun!