Invent Your Own Chore Helper!

What You Need:

• Poster board
• Markers or crayons
• Paper

What to Do:

1. Have your child write a list of the chores she doesn't like doing.
2. Tell her that she gets to come up with a design for an invention that will do one of the chores for her. Go through the list of chores together and decide on the chore that she wants to create a gadget for.
3. On another piece of paper, have her write the name of the chore at the top of the paper. Have her brainstorm a list of the tasks involved in completing the chore.
4. Next, tell her to think of all of the different ways she can invent a gadget that will complete the chore. She can be as outrageous and silly as she wants for this part of the brainstorming. Write down her ideas for her as she comes up with them, or if you like, you can have her write down the ideas herself.
5. Go back through the list and talk about each idea. Decide on which idea she will use for her invention. You may end up combining some of the ideas or expanding one of her ideas. Help her come up with a catchy name for her invention.
6. Have her draw her invention on the poster board. Help her to label any parts of the invention - she can think of this as kind of a blue print.
7. Underneath the invention, have her write down a brief description of how the invention will work.
8. Have her explain the invention to the rest of the family and hang it up in your house for everyone to see!

If she is having trouble coming up with ideas you can suggest an automatic arm to put dishes from the dishwasher to the cabinet, a remote controlled garbage can, or a bed that makes itself. This activity is a great way to help your child make a positive association with something she might not find so positive: chores. She'll be thinking outside of the box and stretching her imagination while incorporating a healthy dose of fun into her chores.