This is a quick way to get some cleaning done. It can be used multiple times per day to keep up a comfortable level of tidy. You can have your kid(s) do a quick 20 thing pick-up just before dinner, before going outside to play, before sitting down as a family to watch a movie, etc. There’s no wrong time for a quick 20 thing pick up.
How to:
You can’t beat the 20 Thing Pick Up for simplicity. Simply have your children pick-up 20 things that are out of place. This can be in a specific room or throughout the house.
Tips:
- The number of things to be picked up can be lowered (ie 5 or 10) for younger children.
- When choosing this strategy for a larger number of items that need to be picked up (i.e. more than 50), choose smaller increments (i.e. multiple 20 thing pick-ups) and set up a reward system for each goal met, such as 10 minutes of free time. If your kids are playing a turn based video game, you can have them pick up 5, 10 or 20 things before each turn.
Variations:
- The variations on the 20 thing pick-up are limitless! Choose any number of items to clean (but it is better to keep the number manageable, under 50 is ideal).
- This is a great opportunity to leave cleaning up to chance and increase the fun. Have each child roll a die and multiply the number by 10, this is the number of items that need to be picked up.
- Race! Have everyone race to pick up the same number of things and let whoever wins the race pick the next amount of items to be picked up or the next room to work in. If this isn’t enough of a reward, let whoever wins the race, sit out of the next round. This variation works best if your children are more evenly matched.