Cleaning the House is Fun to Do (Handout)

CLEANING THE HOUSE IS FUN TO DO
(How to Make Work Fun)

Chores don't have to be a CHORE for children. As parents, we have the opportunity to
teach them to enjoy working. Much of the joy of work is taught through our own
attitude. If we have a negative attitude about working, it will carry on to our children.
Chores can be a positive experience for children (and adults) as they approach work
with a cheerful attitude and whistle while they work. Playing a game or singing a song
while you work can bring an element of fun into any task.
Instead of just “telling” your child a job to do, try working along side them. They will
be much more apt to stick with it and complete the desired task. Besides reaping the
reward of a clean room, you will be engaging in precious one-on-one time that you
could be robbing yourself of otherwise.
When you bring games and music into a working situation, you instantly transform the
drudgery of work into excitement and fun. Kids of all ages will enjoy these fun-filled
activities.

GLORIOUS GAMES
1. Race against the clock – Set the timer and race to put away toys in a certain
amount of time. Race to complete a certain chore. (Can you clean this bathroom
before the timer goes off? Children can pace themselves as they keep track of
how much time they have left on the timer)
2. Have your child pretend they are a character from a movie (Cinderella scrubbing
the floor or making a bed, Snow White doing dishes, Buzz Lightyear zooming
through the galaxy picking up toys...)
3. Count (1, 2, 3…) - How long does it take for your child to do a task, put something
away, turn off the lights, etc.
4. Guess How Many – “How many towels can you fold (toys can you pick up, etc.) by
the time I count to 100.”
5. A is for… - Choose a category (animals, fruit, vegetables, tv shows, movies, etc.)
and each person takes a turn naming one as they go through the alphabet.
6. Name a State – Take turns naming the 50 states from A-Z.
7. I Spy – think of something in the room and have everyone try to guess what it is.
8. Alphabet game – name things in the room that start from A-Z.
9. 52 Pick-Up – Quickly pick up 52 items around the room and put them away.
10. Movie lines – One person says a line from a movie and the others try to guess
what movie it is from.
11. “I’m going to Africa (or pick a place) and with me I’ll take a …” - The first person
names something that starts with the letter “A”. The next person names what
was said before, and then adds their letter “B” item to the list, and so on.
12. Activity with an Accent – Make your activities fun by only speaking with a
designated accent (British, Texan, southern drawl, Spanish, etc.)
13. For dusting, put a sock puppet on a child’s hand and let them “dust” the tables.
14. Put a sock on a child’s hand for a fun game of picking up toys off the floor.
THE MAGIC OF MUSIC
1. Listen to music. Children love Disney. They can sing along as they work and the
time passes quickly.
2. Race against a song (on a CD) – “How much work can you do before a song
ends,” or “Can you complete this task before the song ends?”
3. Sing or whistle as you work.
4. Name That Tune – Whistle or hum a few notes of a song. The other people have
to guess what song it is.
5. Sing a song – B-I-N-G-O, Old McDonald, the alphabet song, etc. – “How much
work can you do by the end of the song?”
6. A to Z – Think of songs with the titles starting with each letter of the alphabet.