“Mom! This is so boring. Why do I have to do this every day? Can I please go play, I will do this later?”
It is most likely for kids to react this way when told to do certain chores. It is their age to have fun and not to be responsible. However, as adults, we have to be smart about this and make them understand the importance of doing these little things in their early years. Let’s see how we can make chores more exciting:

• The Race of Chores: You could teach teamwork to your children through chores! Divide yourself into pairs as a family and set a time limit for a certain task. Make this a fun chore race where you see who finishes the task efficiently and first. If all members are participating and in this together, it will be a matter of time before it becomes a daily habit for your child. Learning these lessons at home, where mistakes are more easily forgiven, can help kids develop strong teamwork skills to use at school or work. Plus for parents, it will give you more time to do things on your task sheet and promote independence in kids.
• Our Little Helpers: You’d be surprised at how efficient our little ones can be if you assign them age-appropriate tasks to do. Some of these include –

1. Let’s Play ‘Stack it Up’: Ask children to clear up their toys, books, by making different stacks or piles of the objects categorically, you can play some music in the background to soothe them. You can add an interesting element by coding the tasks with certain music i.e. as soon as they hear the music change, they must continue the appropriate task assigned to the music.
2. Ooh Our Table Setting Has A Theme: Engage your child in setting the table for the family meals. You could play a theme game or recite a story about the meal being in the ocean today. Kids can select the items and appropriately set the table linked to the theme vibe. To resemble the ocean, kids got blue mats, white cutlery, brown napkins, and colorful spoons. A variation of play and responsibility doesn’t make work seem like a forced task!
3. Scavenger Hunt: An evergreen classic game that can never go wrong and is sure-shot fun! Plan an entire hour of a ‘Chores Scavenger Hunt’ for your child. An opportunity to be creative has come knocking as you select age-appropriate chores and make clues for each of them that your child could understand and brainstorm to discover. Give them a clue and let them complete the chores at hand. Once done, appreciate their initiative and move onto other tasks. You could progress from basic to complex tasks over time, or you add time as a measuring variable. Tasks could include putting their toys back, clearing the dishes, dusting a shelf, or watering the indoor plants. The completion of the game, the clean space, and the sense of achievement are their rewards in themselves.
4. Special Occasion Chores: Chores don’t always have household ones, they can be something different like getting your child to design a cute little card for someone whose birthday is coming up or making a postcard for a dear family member to send on a festival day! It could also be something as simple as arranging flowers of their choice in a vase at home for a special day.
5. Splash Fun: One day of the week can be assigned as “Water Fun Day”, involving all chores having to do something with water, like washing the veggies for the salad, washing your own dishes, watering the plants, pouring water in a jug or glass for everyone, etc.
6. End of the Week Reward: A special weekend treat in the form of a day-long road-trip or a family-run to the grocery store, for the child to keep their spirits up! It is something great to end the week with, where they get to have a fun outing but at the same time they’re helping when they come along. At the store, you could ask the child to pick simple things from the aisle at the store and fill it in the basket (and then sanitize), ready to be billed! It will be a fun experience for them to see where the food is really coming from!
7. 10 Minute Tidy-Up: At the end of each day, as a part of your routine, play the 10-minute tidy-up game, where each family member times themselves and clears their own clutter away for the day. It will be a fun way to get the work done and in time.
8. The Sticker Chore List: Make individual ‘Chores List ‘for each member of the family and as and when you cross them off, you earn a fancy sticker.
9. The Dirt Police: You can engage in fun role plays, where family members take turns every day to become the ‘Dirt Police’. Their job is to ensure everyone declutters at the end of the day. The Dirt Police is responsible is to roam around the house and put any stray belongings into the clutter bin. To set that item free, the concerned person has to complete an extra chore! Sounds fun, right?
10. I Am My Own Handyman: Teach your child how any task is important and worthy of the effort. Give them their own customized cleaning supply for it. This can be done by giving them a small bucket, dusting cloth, and sponge of their own with their names written on it with a marker. This will make them feel responsible and take ownership of the task and supplies, whenever they engage in dusting, cleaning, or repair work!
11. DIY Cleaning Material as Reward for Good Work: As parents, you can reward all the hard work your toddler has put in, by engaging with them in making your very own DIY foam cleaner, which is a unique way to play and connect with your chores. Children can use their own foam which they created to clean their tub later. You can also use the same concept of giving incentives to them in different ways such as designing a handmade menu for the coming week, making your own cooking aprons, etc. All these methods will make them look forward to simple chores and keep them excited.

The basic idea here is to create a mission and make a sport out of it for your kids to indulge and engage in.
Make Chore Time = Happy Time!

Every Child Must Have Chores To Do.
It Gives Them Dignity In Work & The Joy Of Labor.
– Earl Hamner Jr.