Get the Kids to Do Chores with Chore Games

Turn Chores into a Chore Game

Have you ever played chore games? If you’ve ever done chores in your family growing up or even throughout your home now you know it can become a boring chore.  Many people hate having a chore list but they want the reward of having a clean house. The truth is you must do the work in order to get it done…unless you plan on hiring someone to do it for you.

I know I have heard the groans from my own children. Plus, I was one that groaned growing up. But you can make the chore task into something fun. Stop yelling at the kids or grounding them, instead make them laugh and smile about it. Make it a chore game!

The Timer and Freeze Chore Game

Each person has a designated chore, once the timer starts everyone begins doing their chore. Once the timer buzzes everyone must freeze. Wait a minute someone will shout unfreeze and get back to the meeting spot. See who won. If no one is done, try it again until someone completes it. Kids will find the new game of Timer freeze fun.

30 Minute Clean, 30 Minute Fun

This is just as simple as it sounds. For each room have a breakdown list for them to get it done. For your living room, you might have, vacuum the floor, pick up the clothes/toys, wash off end tables, dust the mantle, etc. The kitchen could be wash dishes, dry dishes, put dishes away, clean counters/stovetop, sweep and mop the floor.  As each room gets finished they are able to have 30 minutes of fun. This could be coloring, watching a 30-minute show, playing a board game, playing outside, etc.

Scavenger Hunt Chore Game

How many of you loved doing a scavenger hunt growing up? Easter Egg Hunt? The Cleaning Scavenger Hunt doesn’t have to be long and tiresome. Have the kids look for any dirty laundry laying on the floors, on dressers, under beds, etc. They won’t get the next task until the chore is done.

When they get to the laundry basket to put the clothes in they might find a piece of paper leading them to the next chore. Sweep the kitchen floor to find your way, on the dustpan bottom could be the next clue, etc. A scavenger sheet could be a sheet with all the tasks at hand. Those that finish it first and they must get each task marked off wins.

Popsicle Chore Game

Grab a handful of Popsicle sticks and label each one with a chore they can do in permanent marker. Stick them in a can and have them pull their chore out. Repeat this process until all the sticks have vanished.

Chore Darts Game

Write all the chores down on a piece of paper and don’t let anyone see. Tip the easier the chores should be the bigger the numbers on the dartboard. Your child will definitely aim for the target and it’ll be fun watching them get better each time. Each person throws a dart, whatever the dart lands on they do that chore. If the chore is already picked go to the next number.

Shooting Baskets of Laundry

One day I grab a shirt, rolled it up, and threw it in the basket. I missed, one of the kids saw and tried and made it. After that, it became a game of shoot the basket. See how many you can make it in. Don’t worry you can try again for all those you missed.

The Dice Game

Write your list of chores on a piece of paper numbering them 1-6 or 1-12 (if you do 12 you’ll need to roll twice or have two dice). As your child rolls their dice they do whatever chore that is.

The Musical Chores

Each child is allowed to pick the song of their choice but ONLY if they get their chore done first. To begin this have a few songs written on paper and have someone pull a song out. Play the song while everyone cleans. The next person to do their chore to completion picks their song.

Making the Bed Relay

This chore game gets them to make their bed up pretty quickly, or all the beds in the house. This idea is coming from Fatherly who has instructions for the chore making the bed relay. If you only have one child in the house you can have them quickly take everything off their bed and put it in piles but make sure to time them. This way the next time they can try to get a better time. Now time them as they place the sheets on the bed, don’t forget those hospital corners. Time! Next to get those blankets on and hit the stopwatch. Finally, toss those pillows up trying to get the best time. Add it all up and see how long it took to make the bed. This is the next time she/he wants to beat.

The Robot Clean Up Game

Over at MomTastic, she’s created a robot game where the child waits for instruction on what to do while acting like a robot. I love this idea. The best part is you are putting the simple chores into a coding format so they are learning how to code at the same time.

See chores don’t have to be something dreadful. You can make chores into a game that everyone can have fun with. Still looking for a few more chore games, Money Prodigy has a few more chore games you might want to try. Stop making it some boring thing that no one wants to do. Throw a bit of spin on a daily task and it can be enjoyable.  Does your family play any chore games? I’d love to hear of some of yours.