When there are several people living in a home, one of the keys to keeping up with all that needs to be done is to delegate responsibilities.

Teach Through Hands-On Modeling

   Need some help in delegating household tasks and motivating family members to finish them? Children need help and encouragement with household chores. Here are fun ideas you can use to involve children in helping at home. These ideas will help them get through the chores — and they may even like doing them! 

Housework modeling
   Help children learn to do a task thoroughly by working with them the first few times they do it. A parent, older sister or brother can guide the child the first few times he cleans his room, sets the table or cleans the sink.
   This “buddy system” creates a model and helps establish good work habits. 

Make Chores Playful

Mr. Duster
   Make dusting fun for younger children by attaching a face made of felt pieces on the end of a clean, absorbent sock or homemade duster. A commercial car-washing mitt works very well. Children can slip Mr. Duster over their hand and help him gobble up dirt. 

Assign Chores Creatively

Cupcake delegation
   A novel way to assign household chores is to bake assignments into cupcakes or muffins. Write tasks on small slips of paper. Roll or fold papers in foil and place them in the bottoms of cupcake liners in the muffin tin. Fill the liners with cupcake batter and bake. As you hand out cupcakes, you’re delegating weekly chores! Assignments can even be placed in the cupcakes after baking. Variation: Place the papers in bottom of flat ice-cream cones. Fill the cones 2/3 full with cake batter. Place them on baking sheet and bake. 

Involve Kids in Meal Planning

3-by-5 dinner planner
   Create a card file for each of your 30 favorite dinner menus. Many entr dishes and drinks. As an example, with spaghetti you often serve a green salad and garlic bread. On one side of a 3-by-5 card, list main dish, vegetables, salad, drink and dessert. On the opposite side, list all items needed for that menu. When planning a week’s menu, delegate one or more children to select seven cards and help you make your shopping list from items on the cards. 

Celebrate Deep Cleaning

Give house a birthday party
   Assign everyone a deep-cleaning job like washing walls, cleaning closets or cleaning drapes. When tasks are completed, have a party complete with cake and ice cream.