Work-together Strategies
That Get Chores Done
No mother should have to tackle all
the chores alone. Try these strategies
to get everyone in the family
pitching in:
• Fold laundry together while
watching a lighthearted film
or TV show
• Prep meals for the week all at one
time while listening to new music
• Take it outside and mow, rake,
weed and wash cars together
• Rally the troops to tackle seasonal
chores every three months
• Offer rewards the whole family can
enjoy like miniature golf or bowling
• Take a break from family time
for a couple of hours after
intensive cleaning
Solve Chaos By Flexing Your
Sorting Systems
If your teen’s dresser is always empty,
with clothes strewn about the room,
maybe that’s because they would
prefer a more visual approach to
sorting thir clothes. Why not try cubes
in the closet instead of drawers?
Here’s a list of sorting solutions that
work for children of any age:
• Furniture cubes
• No-slip hangers
• Shoe bucket or tub
• Laundry hamper
• Jewelry sorter
• Shelves
• Rows of hooks
• Large and small bins
• Hanging or back-of-door sorters
If you work side-by-side with your
spouse and family, you might even pick
up a few chore shortcuts yourself by
observing how others get things done.

Instead of you doing all the dividing and
conquering, let the whole family pitch
in and transform chaos into coopera-
tion. Here’s how:
One for all And All For Clean!
Share responsibility for chores throughout the entire family, remov-
ing the lion’s share of the responsibility from your shoulders. You
are the leader, and you and your spouse can co-lead when you are
both home. But from this day onward, care of house and home is a
group effort.

Teach As You Go
Put some energy into your demo the first few times you show kids
how to do something. If you teach them with a flourish, they will
likely remember what you said and did, even if they are trying to
tune you out. Kids learn faster when they can watch and imitate.

Younger kids can learn by watching older kids.

Check Their Work
With exposure to your methodology, your trainees will pick up on
the most effective ways to clean, and with repetition what they try
themselves will become habit. Train them once, and then follow up
by checking their work twice. Then, check it another time in the
future when they don’t expect it. If they pass muster all three times,
then you are ready to teach them something new.

Take It One Floor At A Time
Rather than spread the family throughout the house, tackle one floor
at a time with a couple of people in each room. There is something
genuinely encouraging about watching the house transform quickly
from chaos into order right before your eyes. Your team’s effective-
ness will keep everyone focused and boost spirits.

IMGORTHAND / E+ / GETTY IMAGES
20 Washington FAMILY APRIL 2023