Asking your child to do their chores can be so exhausting. You don’t like nagging; they don’t like doing what “has” to be done. Only what they “want” to do. The answer to this one requires some creativity on your part.
In the NYT recently, a mom talked about how hard it was to get her daughter to shampoo her hair and even somewhat enjoy it. Her solution? She started to call it “soap bubbles” and her daughter now gets excited for it. She even gives her dolls “soap bubbles” in their hair too. Why? Because it changed from a chore to a game.
You might not feel like playing a game. Least of all when you don’t feel like you have time to mess around and play. But the minute you change the chore into a game, you engage your child’s creative brain and you bond with your child too. This can be about brushing teeth (“…who can make the funniest faces whilst brushing their teeth?”) or making the bed (“if we make our own beds every day this week, let’s say we don’t have to make it on the weekend. What do you think? Let’s see who can last the longest. And whoever lasts the longest wins – what should they win do you think?”)
Gamifying chores can save you years of your life my friend. Much less nagging and shouting and pinching to get the job done. And – your child actually does their chore, instead of you. How about that?
