10 Ways to Get Creative with Chores

Want to nurture your child's creativity and get him to do some chores around the house at the same time? Here are 10 ways to make chores more fun for kids by letting them get creative with cleaning, cooking, and even feeding their pets.

Getting kids to do chores can be a difficult task—sometimes it’s even harder than the chores you’re asking them to do. Cleaning a toilet or setting the table can become boring and tedious day after day. Incorporating creative experiences into chores is not only a fun way to get children involved in cooking dinner or feeding pets, it's also an opportunity to help them develop key skills and get them thinking in different ways.

Creative opportunities give children the chance to express themselves, work on fine motor skills, and relieve stress, says certified art therapist Stephanie Soalt. "It helps in terms of developing thinking tools that get transferred into everyday life and achievement at school.”

Soalt suggests that down time between school and extracurricular activities be spent doing a creative activity the child enjoys, like drawing a comic or baking a cake. “You see a lot of times that [when kids] are stressed or have problems, they go and dance or play instruments,” she says. “Down time is important.”

Diane Copp, chair of the visual arts department at the Green Vale School in Old Brookville, suggests having a designated space for art and drawing. “Have a spot where they can work without worrying about making a mess,” she says. “That makes a big difference.”

Knock out two birds with one stone by incorporating creativity into household chores. Check out our ideas below (what kid could resist cleaning with slime?!).

1. Handmade Menus

Have your child create paper menus of the night’s dinner. She can create a restaurant name and write descriptions for each dish. You could also set up a chalkboard and have your child write out the dinners for the week. No more, “What’s for dinner?” questions!

2. Toilet Bombs (No, Not That Kind!)

Having a hard time getting the kids to clean the toilet? These fizzing, deodorizing toilet bombs will make this oh-so-gross chore a fun one. When the toilet is scrubbed, drop in a bomb for a fun show that leaves a pleasant lemon scent. You and your child can also play with different essential oils to create a personalized scent.

3. Cooking Aprons

Get your child involved with dinner preparation by decorating aprons. He’ll be excited to don his personalized apron and tackle (age-appropriate) tasks in the kitchen, such as stirring pasta sauce or peeling vegetables.

4. Cleaning with Slime

This gooey slime is a great sensory-based activity that also serves as a cleaning device. The slime can be stuck to dusty blinds or dirty bathroom counters to pick up hair and dirt. Create the slime together and have fun sticking it to different surfaces in your home.

5. Bottle Decorating

Create an earth-friendly cleaning product with one part vinegar and one part water and place the mixture into an empty spray container. With permanent markers, stickers, and pom-poms, decorate the bottle and create a label with the product’s purpose.

6. DIY Birthday Cards

Kids can show off their art skills by creating the invitations to their birthday party. Help them draw their favorite characters or write out their name in block letters. If your child doesn’t know what to draw, stencil in some shapes to get the creativity flowing.

7. Feeding Fido

Get your kids involved with pet care by creating this automatic pet feeder using empty milk cartons. Kids can then be in charge of refilling the feeder when it’s empty.

8. Family Tablescapes

Let your child decorate and set the table for the next family get-together. Pick a theme and let their imagination flow. She can make streamers, place cards, and a centerpiece from plastic foam, fake flowers, and paint.

9. Homemade Wrapping Paper

Use plain brown paper in place of store-bought wrapping paper for friends’ birthday gifts. Your child can decorate the paper how he likes and then you can wrap the present. Supply markers, stickers, pipe cleaners, and ribbons.

10. Erupting Foam Cleaner

This erupting foam activity doubles as a bathtub cleaner! Mix hand soap, citric acid or lemon juice, food coloring, and warm water into separate bowls in your tub. Add baking soda and watch the mixture explode! Swirl food coloring into the foam to create a tie-dye effect. After the fun is over, hand your kids a sponge and have them clean the tub. The baking soda and citric acid create a natural cleaning agent.