The Mommy Cooler

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS NOT SPONSORED. THIS POST IS WRITTEN BY  Guest Contributor Allen Michael.  ALL OPINIONS ARE HIS OWN.  SEE MY DISCLOSURE/ PRIVACY POLICY. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.

Getting kids to help out around the house can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. Here are a few smart ways to help motivate them to pitch in and help a little more.

Create a Prize Wheel

Kids sometimes need that instant reward for doing tasks around the house. This is more prevalent in younger ones. So set up a fun daily reward system for them, so that once all of their chores are finished, they are able to be rewarded.

Create a prize wheel for your kids to spin. The rewards can vary from extra TV time, a popsicle, a small $1-2 allowance bonus or the chance to trade a chore with their sibling for one day. Customize it to fit your kids and give them something exciting so they want to spin it daily.

Offer a Weekly Chore Swap

Doing the same chores over and over can sometimes make your kids easily aggravated at the chore and bring down their motivation to help. Allow them to swap out a chore or two each week if they do a good job all week.

You can have them write down the one chore they don’t want to do next week and then let them pick a piece of paper out of a hat with a new chore for the week.

Let them swap out their least favorite once a week or change up the chore chart completely each week so that your kids are getting a well-rounded cleaning experience.

Show then they are Contributing

When kids are able to visibly see what they are adding to the home then they are rewarded with a sense of self and achievement. This will also give them a point of pride to show off in the home to visitors and family members.

Have your kids help out in the shop area of your home so that you can show them how to create things, such as making a birdhouse. You will not only be teaching them a valuable lesson about being able to build something out of nothing, but you will also be helping them learn respect for tools and items around the house.

Make Longterm Goal Rewards

Instant rewards are a good thing for smaller kids, but as they get older, kids begin to want more expensive toys and vacations. Use these more luxury items to help motivate your kids to help more around the house.

For a longterm reward, make sure it is a visible chart or reward that they can see what is being added and how much further until it is rewarded. You can make a jar that you put a money in for each chore they complete, or have a chart that shows them how much more they have to help with in order to go on an exciting vacation.

Make it Fun

Sometimes physical rewards are just not enough to motivate your kids. In these instances, you will have to think on your feet to help make the chore list a little more fun for their creative brains.

Add in a story to the chores, have them sweep the deck of the pirate ship, fold clothes for a king or straighten up the living room for a tea party with a dinosaur. You can use these creative ideas to make a fun afternoon after the chores have been finished.

No matter how much fun you try to make the rewarding process, sometimes kids will be kids and will refuse to help around the house. In times of struggle, you need to be able to take away rewards and stop progress on long term rewards to show your kids that without work, there will be no rewarding.

While it can be a hard thing, this will teach your child that they don’t always get their way. With strong practice, it can also help mold your child into a better helper that realizes once they finish a list of chores that they can sit back and enjoy the reward of a job well done.