Scratch Off Chore Card {Cleaning with Kids}

Cleaning is one of those mundane things that we have to do every day... and I would honestly rather skip it and do fun activities instead. 🙂 Sometimes my son whines when we have to pick up and I usually feel like joining in. I like to look for ways to make chores a little less boring for all of us... so we tend to get creative. Last year we created a Four in a Row Cleaning Game and a DIY Kid-Made Cleaning Board Game and both have been big hits with the kids.

This week I took my current obsession with scratch off crafts (like these scratch off valentines that we're going to try this weekend) and we made some Scratch Off Chore Cards. 

Before we got started deciding what chores to put on our scratch off chore cards, I got out my "Mom spy cam" and snapped some photos with my phone of what our house looked like right then... un-edited. These pictures helped us make a few decisions regarding some of the chores that needed to get put on our chore cards.

The messiest spots at our house are usually the sink, kitchen table, playroom, kid's bedrooms, and kitchen floor. Yesterday actually wasn't too bad (normally there is a line of dishes next to my sink and there are usually way more toys on the floor in the playroom)... but we still had some work to do!

After we surveyed the messes, we got started creating our scratch off chore cards!

Here's how we made them...

Supplies Needed:

• tempera paint (darker colors are better)
• dishwashing soap
• chore card template
• paint brushes
• craft punch (or scissors)
• contact paper

Instructions: 

Start off by adding a little soap to your paint and then mix it together! I don't think you want too many bubbles, but mine bubbled a little and it was still fine!

Paint onto your contact paper! Do several coats so that you can't really see through the paint. This is totally fun for kids to do because they can glob on lots of paint!

Let the paint dry... and then paint a second and third coat if necessary.

While the paint is drying, print out your chore card template and write down the chores in the little circles (or just use our pre-made template if you like our chores).

Once the paint is dry, use your craft punch or scissors to punch out a circle from your painted contact paper. Peel off the back and adhere one painted circle on top of each chore.

Give each child their own chore card along with a shiny coin and start cleaning!

We have each person scratch off their job, share what it is (we practice reading the words... or the letters... or just following directions, depending on the kid), and then get started! Once one job is done, the kids can come back and scratch off another one. I had to make sure that I got a chore card too because I wanted to have a turn... it is really cool to watch the paint scratch off so easily and cleanly from the cards!

The best part about these chore cards is that once you're done using them you can repaint the contact paper circles that are covering each chore, let the paint dry, swap cards, and re-use them!

Cleaning and chores don't have to be terrible... they can actually be fun (though some days I have a hard time reminding myself about that). With little kids trying to do everyday chores can be daunting and oftentimes by the time you pick up one room, another room is destroyed.

Most days when my husband gets home I say something like, "The house was clean this morning... sorry you missed it." If my house were spotless all the time I would feel like I was spending time on the wrong things. So, our house is sometimes messy and the floors are sometimes sticky and have crumbs on them, but it feels lived in...

When I spend time cleaning I love to use products that are earth-friendly, smell nice, and are simple to use. Method's All Purpose Cleaner makes me feel happy when I am cleaning because the colors and scents just brighten my day and smell delicious. This week we tried out Method's Clementine All Purpose Cleaner. Pink Grapefruit is going to be my next purchase since I think it is perfectly pink for Valentine's Day!

You can save $1 off your Method purchase by clicking on the image below and using the coupon code mentioned when you check out at Method Home.

Do you have any fun or unique ways that you like to get chores and cleaning done with your kids? Come share them in the comments!

Here are a few other great resources to check out:

5 Chores your Preschooler Can Safely Do via Family Sponge

Flower Petal Chore Chart via The Outlaw Mom

How to Get Kids to Clean via Kids Activities Blog

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Method. I was also given a budget to cover the cost of purchasing a bottle of Method All Purpose Cleaner. Thank you so much for supporting my blog and the occasional sponsors that I work with.