There’s nothing worse than a long weekend (or even a short weekend) of resentful faces because it’s time to clean the house or yard. So make it fun for everyone, and remember to plan lots of free time and play time, too.

Here are some ideas to make cleaning into a game.

How many minutes? * Whether you’re alone or working as a team, take a look around the designated room and decide how fast you can clean it. State it as a challenge: “I/We can clean this room in 10 minutes!” Then set a timer and try to beat the clock. (This is one of Marilu’s favorites.)

Theme cleaning * Assign each person one particular task to be done throughout the house – gathering all the garbage and recycling; cleaning mirrors and switchplates; collecting and sorting laundry; cleaning sinks and toilets; collecting dishes and washing or loading them in the dishwasher. Then set a timer for 15 minutes and get busy. Meet when time is up for round two. After two rounds, take a game break. Bigger tasks can be split by rooms or floors of the house.

Color cleaning * Write down all the tasks that need to be done on three different colored index cards – red for adult chores, blue for kids’ chores, and white for chores that require teamwork. Draw cards and race to see who can finish first (and still do a good job). First place gets a prize (such as choosing the dinner menu or the movie to watch later).

Divide and conquer * This requires a little planning by the adult in charge of cleaning. Write all the tasks that need to be done, dividing them into the same number of groups as you have family members (four family members means four lists; seven family members means seven lists). The lists should be balanced by the approximate amount of time and effort required. Post the lists on the fridge at night. First person up in the morning gets first choice of lists. Second person gets second choice. Last person up gets the last list. Family members are free to go about their own plans after their list is completed. This is particularly good if you have teens in the house.

Don’t take housecleaning too seriously. You’ll be doing it all again in a day or a week – so just do what you can, and enjoy the day.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 10:17 am and is filed under Family friendly activities, food, tips, Home, Organizational tips for home and life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.