Games and strategies to turn chores into playtime!
Cleaning games based on classic playground games.
Number of Players: 3+ How to: In Clean Tag, the players who are not “it” attempt to clean the room (or the whole house if they’re ambitious) while the person who is “it” is trying to thwart their plan! Each… Read moreClean Tag (Freeze Tag)
Number of Players: 2+ How to: Choose one player to be the leader. The remaining players should copy the leader’s movements as they move about the room putting things away. If the leader hops on one foot, all players should… Read moreFollowing the Cleaner
Number of Players: 3+ How to: Assign one player to be in charge of the music first (the music maestro). All other players find an item that is out of place and stand in a circle. The music maestro then… Read moreClean Potato
Classic Cleaning Games: Red Light, Clean Light – Choose a player to be the first “traffic controller.” The traffic controller calls out “clean light” and all players start cleaning the room as quickly as possible…
How to: Choose a player to be “it” first. The other players should put a box (a paper bag also works) in the middle of the room and put 10 objects that are out of place into the box. “It”… Read moreTag, You Clean
Cleaning Game: Scavenger Hunt – Each player chooses a room and creates a list of 10 clues suggesting items to be put away in the room. The clues do not need to indicate a specific item. See below for an example list. When each player has finished writing…
Cleaning Game: Musical Clean Chairs – Set up a circle of chairs (one less chair than you have players) with their backs facing each other. If you only have 3 players, set up two chairs with their backs against each other. Choose one player to be the music maestro first. This player puts one item that needs to be put away on each of the chairs. The other players then…
Number of Players: 2+ How to: Choose one player to be the “mother” first. The other players take turns asking, “Mother may I ____?” followed by a question about an object or objects to be picked up. For example, the… Read moreMother May I Clean?
Number of Players: 2+ How to: Choose a player to be the first “spy.” The spy chooses an object that is visible in the room, and needs to be put away, then calls out the words, “I spy with my… Read moreI Spy
Number of Players: 3+ (see below for rules for 2+ players) How to: The classic game of hide and go seek with a tidy twist. The first seeker closes their eyes and counts aloud to 100 while the other players… Read moreHide and Go Clean