One Simple Way to Motivate Your Kids to Clean

I’m teaching my boys one way to a woman’s heart… 

Cleaning.

And it’s working so I wanted to share.

Usually, I just pin crafty ideas on Pinterest with no intention of actually doing them.

(Which one of my friends assures me is pretty good. She says she just listens to me talk about what I pinned on Pinterest with no intention of actually doing any of the ideas. Love.)

But this I saw and thought it’s a fairly simple way to motivate kids to clean. Specifically, I thought my kids would like it. Which would make my life easier. (Really love.)

It took me about ten minutes to make. I already had the chalkboard. I stapled some twine across it, printed out the chores labels and glued them to the clothespins, then added the money.

Now let me get one thing straight: my kids are not paid for every little thing they do around our house.

They have to clean their room and help with the dishes as their expected contribution to being a part of our family. But once a week, we clean the house as a family and they get paid for the chores they do. Then, if they go above and beyond on another ordinary chore, or notice something and clean it without being asked, they can get $1 for that too. On average, they earn about $4-$5 a week.

I love it because it more accurately represents how earning money in the real world works. (I am not in favor of just giving kids money for simply existing. I mean, don’t get me wrong – these little people I love so much they take my breath away. But still, when it comes to money…they need to learn reality.)

I also like that they can see the clear expectations we have for them. And if they are saving up for something they want, they can decide if they want to work harder and earn more money. It’s nice that they can immediately pay themselves and experience that satisfaction you get when you earn your income. (We all remember getting our first paycheck? It was a little bit intoxicating, right? I was definitely ready for my next paycheck, and my next one…)

This is all an attempt to instill a work ethic in these sweet babies at a young age. I think it is working, well, for now…then like most things, I’ll have to try a new tactic.

Are your kids older and you don’t think this will work?

Once my kids became middle and high school age, I switched to this chore chart and it works really well. Read more in the description here.

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