Chore time does not have to be a punishment. If you raise your kids young that everyone helps and everyone cleans up, chores will be just another family activity. I have found that by instilling in my children early that a mess can be cleaned up easily if we all work together, we don't have huge blowouts when they are asked to chip in.
A few weeks ago we had a babysitter come in while my husband and I went out. I remember her telling us when we got home that her jaw about dropped off her face when after dinner my older children unloaded the dishwasher, filled it back up and my youngest cleared and wiped the table. She said she had never asked them to help they just started doing it. I couldn't help but feel quite proud of my children. They have learned that when we work together, it gets done fast and then we can truly enjoy the next activity.
It's never to late to start. One of the biggest motivators for children is feeling needed. If you just bark out commands there is no sense of being needed. If you all go in to clean the kitchen, or race to see who can get the upstairs bathroom clean before you get the downstairs bathroom done it encourages them to work with you. We often turn on some fun music, make a list of things that need to be done, and plan a game to play if we get it done quickly. Follow through and keeping watch on your attitude about chores can really change the dynamics of family clean up time.
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