Motivating Children to Help Around the House
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Kids often just want to play and find it boring to clean up. While some little kids love to help around the house, their help often isn’t of much significance. Encouraging this, however, can make it easier as they get older.
Making Games of Cleaning
With younger children, an adult usually has to help with cleaning that is done. Make a game of it, seeing who can pick up the most toys the fastest. It’s usually a good idea to give encouragement to the child by making sure that he is faster at it than any adults or older children. It can also be a game to see who can clean the dinner spot the best, or who can sweep the most crumbs, for example. And even who can bring in the least amount of dirt on their shoes for cleaning the shoes outside. This kind of competitiveness not only encourages the children to learn the importance of being clean, but it also makes it fun to do so. Making beds, for example, is another one… Whose bed can have the smoothest top?
Using a Natural Reward System to Complete Chores
While paying kids to do their chores isn’t always the best solution, there are some natural consequences that act as rewards. If kids haven’t cleaned the toys up, then there is no playground until the toys are put away. It’s not safe to leave a dirty living room, for example. If kids have a particular habit of being messy, then the natural consequence of not being able to do other things, such as play a game that is a favorite, until the mess is cleaned up helps to encourage the children to be tidier in their play.
It sometimes happens that kids won’t put their clothes away or refuse to help with laundry when they should. The natural consequence of this is running out of clean clothes to wear. Don’t help the child out by doing the work for her. If she has no clothes to wear to go outside and play, then she has to stay in until she puts them away or helps to clean. These are natural consequences that help a child to learn how her actions affect her life and those around her.
Creatively Encourage Cleanliness
Sometimes kids have a particular thing that they like to do or receive. Some kids, for example, really like to help with baking. But a natural consequence of not being clean is that the baking does not get done until the other things are clean, first. This can help encourage a child! Think of the things around the home that have such natural consequences of not being clean, whether projects or games or even having friends over, that can help encourage a youngster to help around the house. The rewards are amazing!