Share or Save This

These tips for raising large families are super easy to put into place. And once you start using them, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them!

I don’t know why, but when you have a bunch of kids, people tend to assume one of two things about you:  1) You have it all together (much more than they ever could!)…or 2) you’re a hot mess.

But to be honest with you, large family Moms are pretty much like the rest of the members of the Mom club.  They come in all shapes and sizes.

I think every mom, from the Pinterest perfect Mom to the lovable chaos Mom, would love to learn things that make Mom life easier.

Perfect mom, I am not. But I have been doing this parenting thing for over 19 years now.  And along the way, I’ve managed to stumble upon some great parening hacks that make life easier.

So check out my personal list of quick and easy ideas you can put into place to make your large family home flow more smoothly.

Quick Tips for Raising Large Families

The best news is that you can use most of these tips right away!  They’ve been working for our family of 8 for years.

And the truth is, most of these tips will work for families of any size.

1. Big Messes

Is the living room a disaster?  Have everyone pick up 20 things.  At any point in the day, make an announcement for everyone to pick up 20 things.  You’ll clean up in no time.

Tips:

• Make sure they choose 20 things they know how to put away.  Some of mine are notorious for choosing the one item in the room they don’t know what to do with and walking around with it for 5 minutes.  (Why??)
• One puzzle does not count as 20 things.  But you might count 20 scraps of paper as good enough.

2. Weekly Chore Rotation

We have a list of four chores (I don’t include kids on this list until they’re 5 years old).  Each child does one chore for an entire week.  On Sundays, we move the clothespin names down to the next chore.

For us, the chores are help in the barn, set and clean up the table, feed the dogs, and sweep the dining room floor.

The 4 year old is usually eager to help, so we pair him with an older child so he can help them for the week and learn how to do individual chores.

Get a whole list of chores for kids by age here.

3. Keep Up With the House

I don’t know about you, but I am so darned tired of looking for lost library books.

I found one in the bottom of a toy box I know no one has opened for months.

Another in the last basket in the entire first floor.

(Not the last basket I looked in.  Literally the last basket we owned that hadn’t already been searched, because it made no sense for a book to be there.)

It’s exhausting to live like this.

But being neat doesn’t come naturally to me.  And it obviously doesn’t come to my offspring, either.

But then I read this book…oh, my goodness.  It’s written by a lady who ALSO is not a natural organizer.

She’s completely honest about her life, and she shares what actually worked for her.

And amazingly, it worked for me, too!

Using her really simple system, I got rid of a ton of stuff in our home.

You just have to grab her book and give it a read.  I’m telling you, her system is so simple you can use it any time.

4. Socks

Ugh!!  I hate folding socks.  Keep it simple by color coordinating socks for each child.  (I’m not suggesting that Sally should always wear yellow socks!)

I buy Hanes socks from Target or Meijer.  The small letters on the bottom of the sock are different colors for different sizes.

My 4 year old gets the green letters, one kid gets blue, another gets red.

If you have kids that are close in size, you might put one in white socks and the other in black socks.

I’m all for saving money, but I don’t mind a mini sock splurge if it will make my life easier for months!

Get more simple laundry hacks here.

5.  Listen to Podcasts

While you’re doing chores around the house, listen to podcasts.  Find one your whole family can learn from or be inspired by.

You might follow someone who will teach you something you’ve always been interested in.

My favorite is Read Aloud Revival (which is for homeschooling Moms, but her ideas about slowing down and enjoying motherhood are refreshing for every mom).

6.  Routines!

Routines are essential to raising large families.  Remember that a routine is different from a strict schedule!

Get more ideas on how to develop a routine for your large family here.

Or grab this simple stay at home mom schedule!

7.  Errands

If you get the chance to run an errand while someone else is watching the kids (maybe a spouse or older child), take just one kid along.

You’ll get some extra one on one time with them.

A ride in the car often gets my kids talking about life because they’re trapped uh, there’s plenty of empty time to fill.  😉

Need more ideas for spending quality time with kids?

8.  Small Tasks

I know, we’re in the habit of doing it all ourselves.  It’s just easier to do it than to delegate.

But try this instead: all day long, write down the small tasks you were getting ready to do.  When you have enough on your list to assign one or two per child, ask them to help.

Remember that there are lots of chores in a big house, because there are lots of people adding to the work load.

It’s fair to ask them to help out with the work.  And none of this has to take anyone very long to do.

Here’s exactly how I get my older kids to do chores without the struggle.

9.  When Assigning Small Tasks…

Start with the youngest.

Give them the first task…the biggest thing on your list that they can handle at their age.

Remember, three or four year olds can be paired with an older child (or with you, Mom!) to learn how to do small things like folding washrags.

10.  Fun and Games

Find games that kids of all ages can enjoy together!  Jenga, Honeybee Tree and Spot It (our family favorite!) are a few that even adults love, but don’t require reading.

11.  Screen Time

While there is no substitute for having a good relationship with your kids, and regular talks about online safety, we have decided that every phone in our home must the Bark app monitoring system.

Not only does it help you see what your kids are exposed to online, but it also monitors for grooming behavior, threatening or inappropriate texts, and more.

Face it.  Our kids know more about the internet than we can hope to keep up with.  We need all the help we can get, and I’m more than pleased with the help I get from Bark.

12. Color Code Everything

Use color coded zip ties on zippers to keep track of boots, coats, and gloves.  As you buy replacement items, get them in your children’s favorite colors.

At a glance you can tell who didn’t put their bowl away, who left shoes on the floor, and who can’t seem to hang up their towel.

13.  Easy Declutter

Ask every kid to run to their room and bring you one item that is broken, doesn’t fit, or they just don’t love anymore.

Repeat as necessary.  (It’s much easier for kids to part with things one at a time.)

14.  Avoid Fast Food

Keep two meals on hand that are super easy.

Whether that looks like a tray of homemade lasagna in the freezer or a bag of frozen chicken nuggets is up to you.

Either one will keep you from ordering pizza.  Don’t worry about being perfect.

15. Scale Laundry Mountain

Have a laundry folding party!!  Dump your clothes in the living room and have the whole family sit around the pile and fold.

Play some tunes, have some fun…you might even end the evening with underwear on a lampshade!

16. Chop It

Get thee a set of kitchen shears.  Use them to chop up bite sized foods for younger kids.

Much easier than fighting a fork and knife while your food gets cold!

17.  Toss It

In busy seasons of life, use paper plates without guilt.

Real plates take water and energy to clean, so they aren’t completely free.  And your sanity is worth a few dollars.

18.  Whisper

It’ll quiet them down for a little while anyway.

*Know that you’ll have to get close enough to catch their attention before they notice.

19.  Use Assignments

From assigned seats to assigned areas of the house to clean, it makes everything easier!

If you find homework lying on the floor, you’ll know which dining room chair you can set it on to make sure that child finds it when they get home.

You can let them trade spots each month to shake things up.

My kids are totally comfortable using the same assigned seat forever, though.

20.  Menu Planning

Have each child write down two meals they want to eat for the next week.

Instead of starting with an annoying blank piece of paper, you simply go through the list and choose the meals that fit your nutritional values.

Choose foods that are in season for the best prices.

For the easiest meal planning ever, grab this free guide!

These simple tips for raising large families will make life easier!

Like tips for raising a lot of kids?  Then you’ll love getting more tips straight to your inbox!

When you join the large family newsletter, you’ll get a free daily planner.  You know that will help simplify things!

Do you have a favorite quick tip for raising a large family?  Tells us about it!