Somedays with kids are pure chaos. When my husband walks in the door from work, I’m sure it looks like a hurricane has been through the living room. However, in general we are able to have a tidy house. Toys are put away, floors are vacuumed or swept, and bathrooms are wiped clean. One of the important factors for us keeping a tidy (enough) house with kids is that the kids are legitimate helpers.

Is it Really Possible to Have a Tidy House with Kids?

The short answer is yes. Hooray! Right? 😉

One of the keys to having a tidy enough house with kids, while remaining sane and balanced, is to teach the kids to help out. Children can and should be vital participants in the daily tasks that keep a household running. Teaching our kids to cook, clean, and generally help out will benefit everyone in the family, first and foremost, our kids.

Housekeeping skills are necessary to becoming a functioning adult. Additionally, chores can help our kids learn to work hard in general, a skill they can apply to every aspect of their lives. When they have the capacity and confidence that they can do hard things, our kids can thrive.

So, if learning to work is so important, how do we teach our kids to do it?

Teaching Kids to Work without Nagging

The Five E’s of Teaching Kids to Work is a simple framework for helping our children develop the attitudes and skills to work hard. The great news is that we don’t have to nag about chores day after day. That’s simply exhausting.

Hard work doesn’t have to feel like prison labor for the kids or us. We can teach our kids to Enjoy their work, which is the last of the Five E’s.

As our children enjoy their labors, they will participate much more willingly. The occasional nag may be necessary, but it won’t be the norm. The routine becomes happy helping and working. Routine is a great way to keep life running smoothly.

Additionally, help your kids look back and see how they have been able to accomplish important things, and it wasn’t so bad after all. This will only further encourage their future efforts, even when a particular task isn’t made out to be fun.

I don’t try to make chores fun every single day, and I definitely don’t use bribes to get the kids to work.

However, a little creativity, thought, or effort can go a long way in making jobs more fun. Here are over 20 ideas to get you started.

20+ Ideas for Making Work Fun

Multitask to Make Chores More Enjoyable

1.  Turn up the music.

• Turn this on as loud as your speakers can handle it.  Try not to clean with style.  Try it.  I dare you.

2.  Pretend to be Orphan Annie, Cinderella, servants in a mansion, or any other scenario you can imagine.

3.  Listen to an audiobook while you work.

4.  Whistle while you work. 🙂

5.  Tell stories while you work.

• Stories are powerful and make the time go faster. Tell true stories about yourself or relatives. Share memories. Make-up stories.

6.  Bond.

• Talk, ask your kids meaningful questions, and listen. I remember one afternoon pruning rose bushes with my mom, while talking about self-esteem. To this day the stories and truths we discussed remain in my memory.

Influence Attitude and Motivation to Do Chores

7.  Set kids up for success.

• Teach them how to do the job well and provide the necessary tools. Everything is more enjoyable when we feel we will be successful.

8.  Appreciate hard work.

• Commend diligent effort as you see it in your children, movies, books, or others around you.

9. Connect work to its benefits.

• Help your kids see the good for themselves and others that result from hard work. Ask what they are willing to work hard for.

10. Create a family culture of work.

• Be consistent about work in your household and proud of what you accomplish together as a family. Routine makes work easier, and often easier is more enjoyable.

Work Hard, Play Hard

11. Build Traditions of Work and Play

• Every morning during our annual trips to Grandpa and Grandma Mac’s house we would work for a few hours.  What followed was pure enjoyment…swimming in the pool, feeding the neighbor’s cows, going for walks, reading on the grass, and feasting on big meals.  I am sure the work got done faster as we all knew what came after and looked forward to it eagerly.

12. Keep life balance.

• On Saturdays when we didn’t have sports, we would work in the morning.  Afterward, we would go out on the boat, play basketball, or do other fun activities together as a family or with friends.  We knew we were going to work hard, but we knew we were also going to play hard. Plan a fun activity, treat, or outing for after chores are complete. Keep expectations realistic and life balanced.

13.  Create simple fun.

• When my big sister was babysitting, cleaning up the toys was never a chore.  After we cleaned, the Tickle Monster would feverishly pursue and giggles would ensue.  If it wasn’t the Tickle Monster, it was the Finger Chair.  After a successful clean-up, we each got a turn to sit on her lap while she held out her ten fingers.  We got to push her fingers down one at a time.  Each finger produced a drop or a tickle or a silly song.  We looked forward with anticipation to what each finger might hold.  These games were simple and silly, but obviously they were effective if I remember them decades later!

14.  Occasionally let the dishes turn into a water fight or towel whipping contest.

• I’ll be honest, my parents were much better at this than I am.  🙂

Add Variety to Chores for Kids

15.  Make assigning chores a game.

• Roll a die and choose jobs from highest number to lowest. Play Rock, Paper, Scissors or draw straws.

16.  Complete jobs in quick, short bursts that feel easy-peasy, such as five-minute clean-ups or two-minute tasks.

17.  Make the results a surprise for Dad or Mom or whoever is not there at the moment.

18.  Race the clock…or Nona!

• One day my mom called to chat and when my youngest told her he was supposed to be cleaning up the basement, she suggested they have a race.  She would complete her errand and call him back.  I don’t think the basement has ever been cleaned so fast.

19.  Give choices.

• Let kids choose their own job out of a list or from what they think needs to be done.  Let them choose in what order they want to complete their tasks (jobs, homework, instrument practice, etc.)

20.  Mix it up.

• Somedays work inside, other days in the yard. Have siblings work together or alone. Work for a set amount of time or until a job is done. “Variety’s the very spice of life.”

21.  Do work that is a service for others such as neighbors or other family members.

• Recently we were serving and one of my kids said, “I love doing work like this, especially when it is for someone else.” True story. Happy moment.

Set the Example of Enjoying Work

22.  Smile while you work and avoid complaining.

23.  Work together.

• Your attitude, example, and smiles as you go will show your children how to enjoy their work, perhaps better than anything else you can do.

I hope these ideas help your kids enjoy their work a bit more and make your job a little easier. Your Littles’ lives will be better as they have some fun and learn to work hard.

How do you help your kids have fun working? What helps you enjoy your work? Share in the comments.

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Some of this post has been edited from an original version published on To You: Love, Marielle.