Cleaning Passports – Fun Take on Kids Cleaning Checklists
Post by Christina of Christina Williams Blog 
So many day I find myself worked into a tizzy because I’m doing some of the same jobs over and over and over. Things that my kids could easily help out with if I took the time to show them how to do it; or encourage (yell at) them to help. Usually when my first request for help goes ignored, though, I take the easier road and just do the work myself. It’s usually just not a battle I want to fight for the day. But if I don’t teach my kids how to clean, who will?
I came up with these cute little Cleaning Passports which take a fun spin on kids cleaning checklists. These will help motivate everyone (including me) to stay up on our cleaning tasks. The tutorial and free printable are over on my blog…so go grab them. Here’s how it works: Each kid has his/her own passport. The passports have a page for each room in the house. The kids earn a stamp for doing a chore in that particular room. Once everyone fills up their passports, we earn a trip to the zoo, a movie night, or some other fun family activity. 
I have a big list of chores (I started with this one) and added to it to fit our needs. The kids can choose jobs, or I assign them, depending on how it’s going. Sometimes I can’t think of age-appropriate chores for my kids, so having a list is quite helpful.
I’ve also got some bonus pages for those overachievers out there. I think it might be a good way for my son to earn extra screen time. The best part is that you can completely customize the passports to suit your needs.
I’ve also rounded up a few more ideas to make cleaning more fun for everyone:
- Turn on the music. Even scrubbing toilets is kind of fun while you’re dancing.
- Shoot Hoops: throw the blocks into the bin, shoot the socks in to the laundry basket, etc. Have a contest.
- Wear costumes. A good dose of silliness goes a long way.
- Turn it into a race.
- Kids choice: have the kids assign the chores for the day.
Here are a few of my favorite kids’ cleaning activities from around the web.
- On a Roll from Paging Supermom
- The House Game from A Thousand Words
- Chore Sticks from Whatever Dee-Dee Wants
So how do you get your kids motivated to help out around the house?
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