021: Kids: Chores

2 minute read

We’ve also added another tool to the organized family toolbox. In a freak accident a number of years ago, we lost the file we used to create the chore chart we currently use. We’ve recreated that chore chart and uploaded it in a number of different formats to the website. You can find it in PDF, XLS and Numbers formats on the subscriber’s resource page. If you have not subscribed to our email list you can do so at any time on the website or by clicking the subscribe link.

Topics

Teaching chores to children
How chore charts help
Be consistent

Definitions

Chores: Ongoing tasks that benefit the household.
Jobs: Tasks that children can do extra to earn extra money around the house.
Lifeskills: Activities that children learn before living on their own.

Teaching Chores

EDGE: Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable

Different kids have different learning styles. An auditory child may learn the chore by just telling them. A visual learner may need to see how it’s done in order to understand exactly what you expect.

Have realistic expectations depending on the age and maturity of your child.

Chore Charts

Chores can be organized for weekly chores or daily chores.

Wheel charts are great for whole week chores and are quick and easy to switch each week.

Block charts allow for changes in daily chores and kids can mark off completed work.

Our current block chart is divided into categories: personal chores like cleaning up their own bedroom and clothes, whole area chores like cleaning the bathroom or family room, kitchen chores like washing dishes and cleaning the table, and yard chores like mowing, weeding, trimming or edging.

No boys and girls chores. Everyone does everything – cooking, cleaning, mowing…

Pick a system that is easy to keep up and switch.

There are many lists on the internet that help give you an idea of what children are capable of doing at what ages as you plan your age appropriate chores:

thehappyhousewife.com

positiveparentingsolutions.com

focusonthefamily.com

Be Consistent

Consistency is the key difference between an organized family and an unorganized family.

Consistency teaches habits.

Have a set time that you do the bulk of the chores together. That set day helps be consistent. Staying up on the chores keeps it manageable and not out of control and overwhelming.

The image this week is the actual chore chart for yellow child this week. We took a picture of it and blacked out the names of each of the children. You can get a copy of the actual chore chart by subscribing to our email newsletter.