Go Go Kitchen Rangers

Set a time on the clock and set a goal to finish kitchen clean up by.  Start singing the theme song to get everyone hoppin"!

Changing a wiggly baby's diaper

Find a toy or book for them to hold in their hand while you change the diaper.  Makes a world of difference!

Laundry Train

Bring the laundry basket around to room calling "Choo Choo" Come on join the Laundry train! Get all your wash done in one day. Have a folding party together while watching a show.

Clean up games

Cleaning up is a chore!  Motivate with games

Color Clean up: Shout out a color and let the kids hunt for toys with that color
Freeze Dance: Turn on music and have them freeze whenever you stop the music
make believe: Create any scenario where they have to rescue the toys.  Underwater, volcano, etc

Sports announcer: narrate what "team kids" is doing as they race to clean up the room. 

Robot clean up: program kids to pick up specific toys or do specific tasks

Storm: turn on YouTube storm soundtrack and flash lights on and off.

How to get kids to eat

Providing motivation with a treat
Condiments!  Dipping!
Feed it to them (at least for the first bite)
Cut the food into bite size pieces
Offer it often, more exposure helps them become more accustomed to it
Don't serve it hot

Scrapbooking

I've started Scrapbooking each Wednesday night.  I am encouraged to catch up!  Setting a specific time is really helping me keep this non-urgent item happening. 

Let your hunger work for you

I try to connect jobs to routines that happen daily.  Here are the ones we do now:

make bed -- breakfast
clean up playroom -- after school snack
clean up main floor -- movie, dinner
dinner or lunch clean up -- treat

The jobs get done because we get hungry!  I try to make sure I don't snitch or it's hard for me to get the kids rounded up to do their jobs.  I'm motivated by hunger too. :)

Live in the Present

Through reading and life experience I have seen that young kids have no concept of the future.  So saying, "you can have another brownie tomorrow" is of no consolation. I try to redirect to something in the present and that helps ease the transition much better.

10 points

I wanted to get the kids to help turn off the lights, so we started bringing attention to it by calling "ten points" each time we turn off the light. We don't tally the points, but it's kids against parents.  If the parents start getting a lot of points J and X start running from room to room turning the lights on and off to catch up.