Make It a Race

If you have young kids that love a good race this one is for you. Making cleaning fun is key, and playing alongside of them will make them want to keep on cleaning (but shhhh don’t tell them). Find an area of the house that needs tidying. Be specific about what you want your kiddo to pick up and what you want them to do. Create a starting line and then say: Ready, Set, Go pick up that toy and bring it to this bin. Go! Then keep it going until you’ve both reached your limits of energy or attention… or better yet the room is clean! 

Set A Timer

Another variation is to set a timer and ask your child to try and pick up as many toys within one minute. Or be specific: can you pick up 15 toys in one minute? Ready? Go! Want to involve older kids? Or the whole family? Give each family member a specific room to clean and make it feel like an escape room - 60 minutes to finish cleaning (or less based on the ages of your kiddos). 

Having a reward on the other side - like a family adventure out of the house to a nearby park, a scoop of ice cream on the back porch, or something that your family loves will be an added motivation.  If they don’t make it out before the timer goes off? Come up with something fun like a cold bucket of water, or sprints around the backyard to get to that ice cream cone you are still going to have after the cleaning is finished. 

Go On A Scavenger Hunt 

Turn tidy time into a fun scavenger hunt. Choose a specific item and send your kiddo after it. “Find shirts on the ground and put them in this basket. Now find all the toy cars and put them in this basket. Want to send them on a bigger hunt - hand your kids walkie talkies and give them different items to search for throughout the house. Be specific or be general based on how your child responses. Find 4 dolls, 5 stuffed animals, 4 round toys, 6 blue toys, etc.