How to Get Kids to Do Chores Without Whining

With four children, my house can quickly become a disaster! Between all the therapies, doctors visits, sport, work, and every thing else, I just cannot clean it all up on my own!  I have four little helpers to get the job done. That being said, boy do they whine about it!  Thankfully, our friend Sury  (founder of The Only Canister Vacuum) has offered up some awesome solutions to that problem!  So I will let her take it from here!

Every mom dreams of having help with the household chores. But many times, it’s easier to do it ourselves rather than deal with the whining that comes with help, right? Well, whether you’re a new mom or a seasoned mom, we’re going to show you how to get kids to do chores without whining . So, stock up on cleaning supplies, make sure your vacuum cleaner is ready for heavy-duty action and read on for our strategies.

How to Get Kids to Do Chores Without Whining

Start Kids Young

Even before your kids start to talk, you can do things to train them to do chores without whining about it. Announce that it’s “clean-up time” at the end of playing with blocks. Make a big show of picking up the blocks and putting them away. Encourage children to help pick up what they can.

Consistency and Routine

We all know that once something is a habit, it’s so much easier to get done, and it just seems like a natural thing to do. Get your kids into the habit of doing chores by consistently reminding them to do them as part of their daily routines. For example, if your kids already brush their teeth twice a day, ask them to wash out the sink in the morning and wipe off the bathroom counter at night. Before long it’s all routine, no whining, they just do it.

Make Chores Bearable

One factor in getting kids to do chores without whining is to make chores bearable. Chores should fit your child’s personality and be age appropriate. It helps to break chores into small tasks so kids can see and feel successful quickly for their efforts. “Clean your room” can seem overwhelming to little Johnny. But “pick up all the clothes on your floor and shoot them into your laundry hamper for points” is a much more bearable task.

Let Them Feel in Control

When kids feel like they have control over what they’re doing, they are less likely to whine. Let children choose to wash or dry the dishes for example or write chores on Popsicle stick and let your child choose three sticks daily. Give them a choice of when they can do their chores. They don’t get to choose to do or not do chores but can choose to do it before or after their breakfast, before or after school, etc.

Infuse Cleaning with Fun

One way to get your kids to do boring chores without whining is to find creative ways to infuse fun into cleaning. There are an unlimited number of ways to do this such as adding music or making it a race against siblings or against a timer.

Use Positive Reinforcements

Contrary to how it may feel sometimes, your kids were not put on this earth to drive you crazy. Kids naturally want to please, and you can play into this by using positive reinforcement. There are a multitude of ways to do this from verbal praise to stickers, an allowance, and chore charts. Pick the method that best suits your family.

Make Chores a Team Effort

The last strategy for getting kids to do chores without whining is to work together as a family team. Even adults enjoy activities more when there’s someone else around to commiserate with or joke around with. When families do chores together, kids learn expectations, they learn how to do things, and they don’t feel alone, so they whine a lot less!