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22 Fun & Easy Cleaning Activities For Kids

March 21, 2023 //  by Nicole Neumann

Do you find getting your kids to pick you up around the house difficult? Oftentimes, teaching children how to clean up after themselves is a chore in itself! The key to getting your kids involved in household chores and cleaning is to make it fun! We have compiled a list of 22 fun and easy cleaning activities to make life easier for you and your family. Whether they are toddlers or pre-teens, the following games and activities are fun for children of all ages! 

1. Dice Cleaning Game

This super fun and creative game will get your kids cleaning in no time! All you need is a die and a list of six spaces or items in your home that need cleaning. Your child rolls the die and completes the given activity for the corresponding number from the list. 

Learn More: Get Your Kids to Clean

2. Cleaning Pretend Play

If your child loves dressing up, then this is the perfect activity for them! Simply have your child pick their favorite character to dress up as and pretend to be them as they are cleaning. Allowing them to play make-believe will take the cleaning off of their mind and just have fun while still cleaning.

Learn More: Simplify Create Inspire 

3. Jenga Cleaning Game

For this activity, you will need a set of Jenga blocks. On each one, you can write a household chore for your child to complete. The one they pull is the chore they have to complete! Not only will this get your child cleaning, but it’s a great activity for fine motor skills. 

Learn More: Capital Hire

4. Board Game Chores

If you want to get really creative, consider buying or using an old board game like candy land. On some of the spaces, write down the household chores you want your child to complete. You can also add some fun spaces such as a sticker or candy space to keep things exciting. 

Learn More: Your Modern Family

5. Use a To-Do & Done Chart 

Visual aids are perfect for both adults and children. There’s nothing like the feeling of checking off something on a to-do list or, in this case, moving the picture to the “done” side! These charts are just what your child needs to get motivated. Consider making multiple charts for different areas of the house. 

Learn More: Toddler Approved

6. Listen to a Clean Up Song

This is a great clean up song for not only parents but teachers as well. This song will get your kids dancing and having fun as they clean up their toys. Try making this into a routine and playing this song every time it’s time to clean up! Soon enough, you’ll be able to just play the song and your child will know it’s time to start cleaning. 

Learn More: ELF Kids Videos

7. Timed Cleaning Challenge

One active idea is to set a time challenge to see how much cleaning your child can do in a certain amount of time! Perhaps the more they do, the greater the reward. Another idea is to use the timer and have your children race each other or you to see who can pick up the most!

Learn More: Home Cleaning Family

8. Cleaning Treasure Hunt

Before your kids start cleaning, go around the room or house and hide different rewards such as stickers, candy, and coins. As the kids clean, they can keep the treasure. This will teach your child to clean in all areas and to be thorough while cleaning. 

Learn More: House Wife How To’s

9. Little Helper Cleaning Toys

Another idea is to get your kid their very own cleaning supplies! It would be so fun for them to have their own broom or mop to get cleaned with. Having their own supplies will make them feel more like an adult. The best part? The vacuum actually works!

Learn More: Amazon

10. Simon Says with Cleaning

All kids love Simon Says so put a new twist on the classic game by adding simple instructions for cleaning. For example, you can say “Simon Says to put the red truck in the bin”. Make sure to add some fun instructions too! Also, try letting your child be the Simon and give directions to you. 

Learn More: Petit Journey

11. Sorting by Color

This activity is perfect for little toddlers. Have kids clean and organize their toys by color! Not only is this teaching them the important life skills of cleaning but they are also reinforcing their color recognition skills. 

Learn More: Pristine Home

12. Clean with the Kids

Get your kids motivated by cleaning alongside them. Consider having everyone work together on each chore rather than everyone doing their own separate thing. Children really do watch everything the adults in their lives do so seeing you clean with them will make all the difference. 

Learn More: The Intentional Mom

13. Let them Clean what they like Best

Just like every adult, every kid is different and likes different chores more than others. If your child prefers sweeping over washing the dishes,  encourage them to sweep! Since it’s something they actually like to do, this will make the cleaning process much easier and more motivating for your child. 

Learn More: Zauli Maids

14. The Magic Piece

This activity is great for both parents and teachers alike! As you are cleaning with your kids, decide on one object: namely the magic or mystery object. The kids need to clean up as much as they can so that they’re hopefully the ones who find the object. At the end of cleaning, you can reveal what it was, and whoever cleaned it up gets a prize! 

Learn More: YMCA

15. Cleaning Bingo 

Try a game of cleaning Bingo to motivate young learners. When your child completes one of the chores, they can cross it off or put a token over that square. After they get five in a row, they can get a prize! 

Learn More: Modern Mom Life

16. I Spy Cleaning

Give an I Spy statement to your kids. For example, “I spy a green t-shirt that needs to be picked up”. They have to listen and follow your directions. Allow your child to give I Spy directions as well. 

Learn More: Get Your Kids to Clean

17. Cleaning Dance Party

A super fun and active way to get your kids cleaned is to put on some of their favorite music and have a dance party while you clean! You can also turn this into a freeze dance by pausing the music every once in a while and having them freeze in a goofy stance.

Learn More: Clean Slate Healthy Living

18. Chore Chart

There are many different types of comprehensive chore charts available on Teachers Pay Teachers. This is the perfect way to keep track of all of their work and tick off tasks as they go. 

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

19. Play Find My Stuff

Give your child their own laundry basket and explain that when you say go,  they will have to run around the house and find anything that is theirs and not put away and put it in the basket. Once they find everything, they need to put it away. 

Learn More: Sleepover Party Ideas

20. Sort and Pair

Give your child a laundry basket full of clothes and have them fold and sort the clothing items for each family member or pair the mismatched socks together. Try having them sort by color before washing. This is a great opportunity for color practice and will help you with laundry! 

Learn More: Leap

21. Play Dust Ball Derby

This game is relatively simple; whoever finds the biggest dust ball gets to choose a movie to watch or a game to play!  

Learn More: Scholastic

22. Create Household Currency

Although this takes a bit more effort to put into practice, the results will be worth it! Like monopoly money, create a household currency. To make it even more appealing, consider putting your pet’s face or one of the parents in the circle on the bill. After your kid does a chore, they can get a $1 bill. After they reach a certain amount, they can turn their cash in for a reward.

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

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