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Challenge: Digging Deep

Tips for Making Daily Chores More Fun for Kids

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Motherhood is filled with adventures and surprises. I wasn’t surprised with how quickly time goes by and how my girls were walking and talking before I was fully prepared. I wasn’t surprised that my husband slept through the cries over the monitor while I slept on edge for the first 2 years of their lives. And I wasn’t surprised by dirty diapers, endless laundry, and bumps and bruises along the way. But what I was slightly surprised by was how difficult seemingly small, simple tasks could be. I wasn’t expecting the rip down, tear down fight that I encountered when it came time brush teeth, take a bath, or do homework. So, I had to get creative. Here are some helpful tips on how to make those not-so-fun chores seem more fun for your kids. So much so, that they might actually start enjoying them!

1. Brushing Teeth

One of my biggest struggles is to get my girls to brush their teeth without complaining. We talk a lot about dental hygiene and its importance. I also tell them that if they want to indulge in their favorite sweet treats, brushing their teeth is a must! So how can you make this more fun for kids? Pretty simple. Kids toothpaste tastes pretty great these days. Let your child pick out their favorite flavor, whether it’s sweet mint or bubble gum. Pair their favorite toothpaste flavor with a fluoride rinse. This helps keeps your child’s teeth and gums healthy. The best part is, most fluoride rinses come with popular cartoon characters on the label, which makes them more appealing to kids.

You can also let your child pick out their toothbrush and other bathroom accessories like a rinse cup. These come in a variety of colors and designs. And lastly, try brushing your teeth with your child. Children feel empowered and confident when they’re performing a task that “grown ups” do. And to ensure your child brushes for the correct amount of time, try finding a song they like and have them brush gently until it’s over (depending on the length).

2. Clean-Up Time

Clean-up time is always a struggle for kids. They want to bring the toys out and play with them but they run the other way when it comes time to clean-up. There’s a few ways to make this process easier for both you and your children. Try organizing their items using color-coded bins with labels and pictures. All the cars go into one container, all the people in another and so on. Label the buckets with pictures or words (depending on their age). When it comes time to clean-up, help your child. Maybe you hang up all the dress-up clothes while they put the cars away. It’s okay to lend a helping hand if it means encouraging them in a positive way. You can also use a clean-up song. A song that your child recognizes as the signal that it’s time to clean-up. Play the song and your child can sing and dance as they complete the task.

3. Taking a Bath or Shower

For some kids, bath time is their favorite part of the day. It means they get to splash around, take their clothes off, and explore a new sensation of water. For others, it’s a struggle to even get them in the bath. If this is your kid, there are a lot of ways to make bath time more fun. Allow them to bring a few waterproof toys into the tub with them. This could be figurines, squirt toys, rubber ducks or boats. You can even give them a few small plastic cups or containers. Kids love to fill and dump items as they explore their fine motor skills. You can also purchase colorful bath crayons and soaps or bubbles to make the experience more pleasant. When your child is ready to graduate to a shower, try installing a detachable shower head. This way, your child isn’t afraid of the water coming down on their heads. Take down the shower head and let them use the hose. This means less water in their face and less tears for mom!

Closing Thoughts

Of course, not every task can be fun for your children. Some chores are just a necessary part of life and need to be handled as such. These include doing homework and eating healthy meals. But you can still make these activities more enjoyable with some minor changes. Try sitting with your child at homework time and being an active participant. You can also compare their homework to your own job or career. Children respond well when they can relate to something. When it comes to eating healthy meals and snacks, get your child involved in the preparation process. Children love to help out and cooking is interactive, educational, and fun. Let them choose some recipes they’d like to try out and see if you can find healthy ingredients to use or swap out. You can also create fun and silly snacks for your child’s lunchbox.

Compromising with certain things shouldn’t be viewed as “giving in”. It’s called choosing your battles and for many moms, it’s called survival! So don’t be afraid to get creative with these tasks and make them more of a pleasure than a struggle.

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