Cleaning Games

A friends husband once said to her in their first year of marriage,

"Maybe you should start a cleaning company honey, you seem to really love cleaning"

To which she relied,

"I DON'T LOVE CLEANING! I JUST DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN A MESS!!!!!!"

Oops!

And it's true. It is just one of those things that needs to get done to keep your home up to standard, so why not make it fun!

Get some music on! There's nothing better than some good dancing tunes to get your spirits up. You can bop away whilst mopping the floors, or sing along whilst washing up.
Put the radio on. Choose a channel that suits your mood - a bit of rock! Maybe some classical? Or perhaps you feel like a radio 4 drama to let your mind drift away.
Got a hands-free earpiece? Call a friend! You can carry on doing all the cleaning AND have a good long catch up. You'll be surprised how quickly the time will pass.

Time challenge! A timer is best as it makes for more dramatic effect, but a clock will do. You can make it a "race" to see who can put the most toys away in 10 minutes. Or make it a "challenge", boys particularly love to be challenged. But don't forget to make it fun!
Dress up! Girls particularly love to dress up, and it makes a great way to get into character. Think Cinderella, cleaning up after her big sisters. Or pop on aprons and pretend to be maids and butlers - build the illusion by making up stories..."How did this get here? Must have been some naughty pixies making a mess last night!" My nephew loves to wash up - we pretend we run a restaurant, all he needs is 2 tea towels 1.to tuck into his belt ("cos that's what they do"!) and 2. to dry with.
Get kid friendly cleaning tools. Ever notice how some kids love to sweep and hoover? Get them some kid-sized cleaning tools so they can do the job! One friend bought their daughter a Henry Hoover for Christmas and their daughter was thrilled! She couldn't wait to start vacuuming up after Christmas dinner.