The more you teach your children at a young age, the better adjusted they will be when they get older. They need to understand that their role in the family team is not relegated to one or two chores. Remind them that they share a vital position that helps the entire family thrive.

Motivation is also critical. If your kids see you cringing when it comes to cleaning the cat box, they will likely associate that chore with pain and suffering. If they see you approach that chore with anger, they will approach that chore and others they do not want to do with the same. Remember that all children resemble sponges in that they notice just about everything and take the responses they witness and incorporate them into their slate of responses.

In order to motivate young children to help out, you have to be creative. You have to make them realize that helping out is important and can be fun. Use some of these suggestions to make tending house more of a game than a chore.

1. Challenge your kids to the “game” of picking up – The first one done gets to choose the television show that night, the second, gets to choose what they want for lunch, the third, gets to choose a book you will read to them, etc. The important thing is to make sure that they are aware of the “hierarchy” in coming in first, second, third, etc. and also realize that good work gets better benefits. 

It is also important to make sure that you have a “prize” for each child. This not only will help keep the peace, but also will remove an area that could cause jealousy. Additionally, it will let each child experience the reward of cleaning up. Making the prize fun also allows you to let them determine their own destiny, which make them feel like they are in control of what goes on in their lives.

2. Set up a weekly cumulative contest that has a big prize after so many weeks – This gives children something to look forward to and to gauge progress from week to week. Maybe the prize is a trip shopping with Mom or a day with Dad in the garage working on the cars (mostly for boys). The times spent with parents in this way also helps give you and that child time to bond. Bonding is especially important with younger children, but still important even as they reach their teen years. A lot of the teen angst that pops up from time to time can be avoided by building a relationship at a young age that allows the child to admire and emulate the parent. 

Any contest, however, should have a prize for each child and should only have a penalty if one child truly is not trying their best. This should serve as sufficient motivation to get even the most reticent child up and moving. Keep the prizes simple, avoid money prizes, and make the reward something that helps the child learn.

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