Make Cleaning Fun: Become a Radio Announcer

This is a great way to make cleaning fun for little kids (and maybe your husband, but kids especially).  This technique comes from a very stressful experience I had when I was 18-years-old  - tree-planting.  For anyone who hasn't tried this hellish job just imagine clambering over four-foot stumps surrounded by mosquitoes with hundreds of seedlings attached to your waist.  There is a reason it is always top-ranked as one of the physically hardest jobs you can do in BC.  Anyways, there I was with my sister (she was 19) trundling along slinging my trees into the ground.  We were exhausted and together I must admit we get rather silly.  We decided to do the planting Olympics.

The planting Olympics consists of turning the simple act of planting a tree or stepping over a twig into an epic battle between the planter and the forest - all with narration by the "radio announcer."  Trust me, it turns a chore and something that is brutally hard into a lighthearted sashay through the forest giggling all the way.

If you have been nagging your kids (or partner) about doing their cleaning chores try becoming a radio announcer:

 "And he's chasing after the toy truck and he's almost got it and whoa, he just picked that thing up and slammed it into his toy box!  I think that is a touch down!  The crowd is going wild.  And he is back out there on the field going for another attempt..."

You get my drift.  The key to having fun with this is to not worry about what you're going to say.  Just use the appropriate voice and garble something out, cheering is always good.  Once your child is about five or six and they catch on to what role you're playing, they will take over in a flash.  This leads to a few lovely results: a cleaner house, a laughing child, and a positive cleaning association.  This should make it easier in the future (or less of a battle) to "encourage" your children to help with cleaning.

Life is too short to not be silly.