Ugh, chores. No one wants to do them. Not adults… and certainly not kids. So, let’s make it playful and fun!
Huh, you don’t think parenting is fun?
Well, you can turn around frustrating moments with music, games, and a positive attitude.
Music energizes any task.
And games make chores more fun.
For instance, when my kids and I returned home from a memorable trip, they would dump their things in the living room and run into their rooms. Unpacking was the last thing they wanted to do. What a mess! Everyone’s luggage, bags, backpacks, and stuff were scattered all over the floor. So much for a nice trip.
I got tired of nagging and yelling at my kids to help. It was going nowhere, and I kept getting more and more annoyed. Time for a more playful approach.
By creating games to deal with challenging situations, you make parenting more fun, you empower your children, and your family spends quality time connecting.
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How to Make Chores Fun
With a little imagination, you can become playful like Mary Poppins. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and—SNAP!—the job’s a game!” Kids love to play, so being playful makes anything better.
This blog post outlines how to turn an unpleasant task into a fun activity. Here’s how my kids and I raced to music while unpacking after a trip, but you can apply this technique to anything. The idea is to have a positive attitude and make it playful.
Related: How to Be a Fun, Playful Parent… in Less Than a Minute (Like Mary Poppins!)
1. Gather the Team Together
Woo-hoo! It’s time to smile and joyfully announce the game. That’s right, a positive attitude is contagious and sets the tone. Go ahead, assemble your team into the living room with all the luggage and carry-on bags.
On your way, grab the laundry baskets. Yup, laundry baskets. You’ll see why in a second.
2. Listen to Music
Choose your family’s favorite music to liven up the mood. There’s nothing like upbeat songs to improve any task.
Even better, choose fast-tempo songs to make everyone move faster.
3. Play a Guessing Game
With music ready, gather the family into a huddle. It’s time to guess.
Gee, how many songs until we finish unpacking?
Assume each song probably lasts about three minutes. Yes! Another opportunity to include real-world math in a playful way. Three songs is about nine minutes (3 x 3). Four songs is approximately twelve minutes (3 x 4).
Once everyone guesses, turn on the music and start moving.
4. Organize and Categorize
Go, team, go! Give each person a laundry basket. If you don’t have enough, take turns and focus on one suitcase at a time.
As you empty each bag, organize items into categories based on where things go in the house. Transfer the clean, folded clothes into a laundry basket. Place bathroom stuff in a designated pile on the floor. Dirty clothes in another area. Water bottles and leftover snack food someplace else.
Related: 46 Playful Ways to Enjoy Parenting
5. Delivery Time
It’s time to delegate the delivery tasks. Who puts away the bathroom things? And what about tossing the dirty clothes into the laundry bins? (This was always my basketball-loving son’s favorite task.)
Slide the filled laundry basket down the hall to the appropriate rooms. If there are stairs and your children are young, you might want to carry the laundry basket for them.
Bam, your kids place their clothes in the drawers and run back with the empty laundry basket. Now the next person transfers, delivers, and puts away their clothes.
Keep putting everything away until there’s nothing left and the floor is empty. Because you organized items by rooms, there will be less back and forth running all over the house.
Done! How many songs?
Mission Accomplished!
- You turned an unpleasant task into playful fun.
- Your kids stopped complaining and had fun helping.
- Your suitcases are unpacked, and your house is neat.
- You spent quality time as a family connecting.
This playful approach helped me, especially as a stressed-out single parent. It can help you too.
Put the Fun in Parenting
Want to stop power struggles and connect with your kids?
Turn frustrating, everyday challenges into a fun game. Your children will listen and cooperate willingly.
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♥ Make parenting easier
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How to be a Fun, Playful Parent… in Less Than a Minute (Like Mary Poppins)
Thanks for this post about chores for kids and parents! My baby loves helping me out for the chores (putting in and out of laundry machine, helping when I mop the floor, …) Your tip about putting music is definitely a great one!
Thanks Natacha! That’s great your little one loves helping you with chores. And yes, music is amazing to perk up any task. I like playing music when I hang up my wet clothes to dry. I guess how many songs it will take, and it becomes a game to see how quickly I can finish. Thanks for reading and sharing!