Motivating Kids to Help During the Holidays

With a big birthday party coming up on Sunday, I realize I have a lot more to do than I have time or energy for.

The house needs a quick, but thorough cleaning, Christmas decorating needs to be completed, and baking and cooking tasks are piling up with each visit to Pinterest.

Now, more than ever, I need both of my kids to step up and really help out.

Background:

Unfortunately, whenever this situation has come up in the past, they generally complain, argue with each other, don't do the job right, or forget altogether what they are even doing.

Regardless of what combination of struggles they are challenging me with that day, the work for which I enlisted their help does not get done and I am beyond frustrated.

I needed a plan that would get me a clean house and QUICK.

Then it came to me, I saw an unused cork board in the guest closet and this is what I did with it...

Strategy:

1. I raided both my husband and I's wallets for cash, grabbing ones, fives and three twenties.

2. Then, I printed off my Housekeeper's Cleaning Checklist and decided which rooms I needed clean for the party.

3. With 13 rooms planned, I allotted $1 for each of them, with the exception of one.

4. Since I ran out of ones and I knew my son would be running out of steam, I allotted $5 for my bedroom, bathroom, and closet combination.

Inspired Note: There was no way that I was only going to pay Ryan $17 for cleaning most of the house, but I wanted him to stay motivated over the two-day period. That's where the two twenties came in.

5. I allotted one $20 bill for doing all of the work without complaining, arguing with his sister or asking me non-stop questions.

6. The other $20 bill was for doing all of the work with me only having to point out minor adjustments one time per room.

Inspired Note: If Ryan did all of these rooms (which was just light dusting and vacuuming and only toilets and sinks in a few bathrooms - no kitchen work), he had the ability to make $57.

7. Next, I explained the arrangement to Ryan to make sure he understood the deal and that he was in agreement.

8. Then, I displayed the cork board, propped up on a chair in the kitchen, so that each time he completed a room to my satisfaction, he could immediately take the money for that room and move on to the next.

Inspired Note: In conjunction with this plan, my youngest daughter would help along the way to earn money of her own, lighten Ryan's load and learn that the two of them can work together toward a common goal without fighting.

9. At the end of day 2, if Ryan had done the job without issues, then he got the bonus twenties, as well.

Wrap Up:

If this tool worked as planned,

my son will have learned how to properly and effectively complete his chores,
my son will have learned how to make decisions on his own without asking endless questions,
my children would have worked together for a common purpose without arguing,
the money that I would have paid someone else to clean my house will be in my children's savings account, and
I will have had two days of peace and quiet to accomplish the tasks I have set out for myself.
Update:

It is with much excitement that I say that this is the most effective motivational tool that I have found to get my 11-year-old son to help around the house.

It worked like a charm and he could not have been more proud of his accomplishments.

The night of the party, he overheard one of my friends say that they didn't even know we had a dog because there is no dog hair to be found.

Ryan took that as a personal compliment.

I got a clean house and my kids learned some very important lessons.

Plus, by allotting two partial days for cleaning, my children also got to take the nights off to watch movies and eat Christmas treats.

Next, I will discuss my quick tip for motivating my 7-year-old to complete her tasks with few incidents.

I hope that if you are too struggling with getting children to quickly and effectively complete advanced tasks, that you give this plan a try!

Here's to another Inspired Minute!