How to Get Your Kids To Do Chores With Less Fuss

Managing a household is a dirty job. There are dirty dishes to wash, dirty floors to clean, dirty clothes to wash and put away. Keeping up is a tough job, especially when you've got other people helping to make the mess. Now, if only you could get them on board to help without all the fussing and fighting! Here are some tips that may be useful in ditching the arguments and gaining some much needed help around the house.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a baseball cap or bowl
• paper
• scissors
• pen
• a little cash
• love
• patience

1. 
    

   Make It A Surprise. On a piece of paper, list all of the chores you need to get done that day. Be sure to leave large spaces between the words. Cut the words out so that they are on little strips of paper. Put the paper strips into a hat or a bowl. Have your kids pick their random chore(s) for the day. The random assignment of chores helps break up the monotony and adds a little bit of suspense to a normal chore routine.

2. 
    

   Make It Voluntary. In the form of a list, write or type out all of the chores you would like to have done through the week. Make small lines in front of each chore listed like so: ______ dust, etc. Tell your kids that you expect each of them to do 3 or 4 chores before the end of the week. As they do their chores, they need to put their initials by what they did on the list. What I find with this plan is that kids rush to get the "good" (easy) tasks on the list first!

3. 
    

   Make It For Money. Make the same list described in step 2, but this time assign monetary values to the chores. For example, folding and putting away a basket of laundry is worth $1.00, or sweeping the kitchen floor is worth $.75. After you assign your prices, add up the cost of doing 3 or 4 (or however many you assign) chores throughout the week. Tell the kids they have to do that amount of work, i.e. "you must do at least $4.00 of work", as long as that averages out to the number of chores you assign for the week.

Tips & Warnings

• Use common sense and don't overburden your kids with too many chores. The amount of chores assigned should = a fair contribution!

[ginafur]

on 7/6/2009 This is a great way to get your kids to do chores. I give my kids allowance for chores too. Thanks for sharing this.

[tnpos]

on 7/2/2009 I am going to et my son read this! Make it a surprise sounds great! 5 and rec! PaL

[ljbinkop]

on 6/4/2009 Good parenting advice. Chores help with a child's work ethic in later life!

[johnrapp]

on 5/27/2009 haha, i like step 3 the best... bribe em with money! 5 stars!

[eileen73]

on 5/18/2009 I have done this for my kids. Having a different chore every day makes it nicer and they don't fight as much over doing the same thing twice.