2. Time Yourselves. Keep track of the amount of time it takes from day to day. See if you can beat your record.
3. Make the clean playroom a surprise for Daddy when he gets home from work. Say things like, "Won't he be happy?" "He's going to LOVE seeing this clean floor!"
4. Delegate and celebrate very small tasks. "Jessie, the books are ALL picked up. WONDERFUL!"
5. Play dramatic, classical music. Walz and pirouette around the room while you clean. Try the music from Carmen or Tales from Vienna Woods.
6. Set a timer. At the end of five or ten minutes all toys on the floor will be food for the Garbage Monster (set in a basket, and not to be played with for the rest of the week) But keep the game positive. "Let's hurry; so he'll have NOTHING to eat!"
7. Sing the Clean up song, or A Spoon Full of Sugar, or Whistle while You Work.
8. Take a before and after picture.
9. Plan clean-up for a time right before an activity you know your children will enjoy. "Let's hurry and clean-up so we can do play-doh!" Clean-up time right before naps has never worked well at our house. :-)
10. Dress up like proper maids and butlers, and pretend you are cleaning up after the messy children who live at this house. "Can you believe they left their crayons all over the floor? Tut, tut!" I really think it would be fun to keep aprons, maids' caps, and bow ties in a special place for this purpose.
What do you find effective and fun for cleaning up with children around your home?
