On Your Mark, Get Set, Get the Kids to Clean!

Clean- up games with your children can greatly reduce the stress that comes with teaching kids to picPlaying k up after themselves. Over the past few years, I have adapted traditional games and made up a few games of my own to entice my kids into helping around the house. The time spent cleaning up not only gets the house organized, but allows time for us to enjoy being together! Below are some games we play to clean up and have fun at the same time. Mother May I?: In this game, one of the children or I assume the role of the "mother." The mother assigns a certain number of tasks to be completed. For instance, the mother may ask Johnny to pick up seven toys off the floor and put them away. Johnny then responds, "Mother, May I?" The mother grants permission and Johnny puts the seven toys away. If Johnny forgets to say "Mother, may I?" then he must pick up seven additional toys. I have three children, and we take turns being Mother. When it is the boys turn, we address them as Father instead of mother! Simon Says: A slight deviation of "Mother May I." One person acts as Simon, giving commands such as, "Simon says pick up all the doll clothes" or "pick up the doll clothes." If Simon did not say it, then the person responding to the command has to pick up an additional two items. We take turns being Simon until the room we are cleaning is completely picked up. If the kids want to, we play a real game of Simon Says after we finish our chores. Beat the Clock!: This game is my six year old son's favorite. We set the egg timer for a set amount of time, and race around trying to get the chores finished before it goes off. When the timer rings, we yell "freeze!" Everyone must stop and freeze in the position they were in when the timer went off. Giggles are sure to follow! If we do beat the clock and have everything picked up, we treat ourselves to a yummy dessert! A variation of this game is to use a regular clock. Children learning to tell time can be told that they have five minutes until they have to freeze or that they will stop at 2:45. The goal is twofold: to get the chores finished and help them improve in telling tome. C-L-E-A-N: Another favorite in our house is to play C-L-E-A-N. It is similar to the basketball game HORSE. When we clean up the playroom, we play this game by marking positions around the basketball hoop (you can use a wastebasket). C is close to the basket. The player shoots the ball into the hoop. If the shot is missed, the player has to pick up and put away 7 items and it is the next players turn. If the ball goes through the hoop, he advances to :L, a slightly harder position. If he misses here, he only has to pick up five items. The penalty for missing on E is picking up three items. Missing on A or N results in picking up five or seven items. If the player makes all the shots, he may choose how many items to pick up for that round. Mom always chooses at least ten to get the work finished faster! Learning games: Other games that get the work done and reinforce education skills are sorting items by color as they are put away, counting items by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10;s, and putting away items that begin with a certain letter. Getting kids to cooperate in household chores is not an easy task. By playing games as you work, children are more willing to help and the job is completed free of arguments and stress! 

Melody Daisson is a freelance writer and mother of three. Her part-time occupation is a professional genealogist. To view other articles by the author, go to: http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_by_tag.gsp?auth_id=295 454