For kids, fun usually involves some sort of huge mess. And for an exhausted parent with a full workday? Cleaning up after them might not seem so appealing.
Luckily, there are ways to teach your kids how to be cleaner and contribute to the overall wellness of your home. By getting them started cleaning early — and teaching them that cleaning isn’t so bad after all — you can help them pick up clean habits that will make mopping up a spill or folding their laundry second nature to them.
A good first step in developing clean kids is to teach them that cleaning isn’t boring or bad. Do so by playing fun cleaning games as a family, making your Sunday a fun day of games and laughs that also happens to make the house a little bit cleaner.
Chores and Ladders
To play this game, you need a chores and ladders board, a die, and tokens. The tokens could be coins or paper clips. The tokens will be placed on the board while each kid rolls the die to advance. Whatever chore your kid’s token lands on is what they will do.
Scavenger Hunt
Make cleaning interesting by hiding little snacks, trinkets or dollars around the home for your kids to find as they go. Not only will this make your kids feel rewarded at the end of their chores, it will also motivate them to work quicker and harder to see what treats are hidden among each task. For example: hide a dollar inside of a pocket of jeans they need to fold, or put a pack of fruit snacks in the bottom of a mop bucket.
Operation Find Dust Bunny
The evil Dust Bunny was last seen hiding under the table — can your cleaning 007 find it in time?! Send your kids on a mission to find the elusive Dust Bunny around the house. Their mission is to find the dust bunny and get rid of it using a series of mission cards telling them what steps they need to take to find the bunny. Bonus points for a themed hat and monocle.
Animal Charades
Turn your cleaning day into a fun performance and guessing game. As your kids make their way through the home, have them make animal noises or do an animal’s walk. Guess which animal they are embodying — whoever gets it right, goes next!
The Clean Lantern
Kids dream to be like the superheroes they see on TV. Hand your kids a cape and a Clean Lantern superhero maskClean Lantern superhero mask, and watch them fight off all the bad bugs that have come into your home. Arm them with dusters, wipes, and brooms to help them fight away the grime and save your home from evil.
Always remind your kids of the importance of good hygiene, and reward them for their hard work. Try out these fun games with your kids and watch how they improve their cleanliness.
