This week's Works for Me Wednesday is a bit different from the normal tip-giving fiesta over at Shannon's . Yes, this week I am asking for your best tips. Specifically, your best suggestions about kids and chores.
My renewed search for kids' chore suggestions is three-fold... Our new house is much larger than the last one and I'm finding it more challenging to "keep up". My kids are older now (8, 6, 5) and they have the muscle to do a few jobs around the house. And the responsibility is good for them. ;)
Yeah, all that good stuff and my friend MaryLu had a terrific chore chart on her website that has motivated me.
So, go ahead tell me what works for you! How do you keep track of each kid and their specific chore? Do the chores change or rotate? Gotta chore chart or chore jar that works for you? Do you praise or pay for jobs completed? How many chores do the kiddos complete? Weekly or daily list?
Yeah, all that good stuff and my friend MaryLu had a terrific chore chart on her website that has motivated me.
So, go ahead tell me what works for you! How do you keep track of each kid and their specific chore? Do the chores change or rotate? Gotta chore chart or chore jar that works for you? Do you praise or pay for jobs completed? How many chores do the kiddos complete? Weekly or daily list?
18 comments:
I just posted our chore set-up last Wednesday on my blog (August 27th).
My kids do not get paid for their chores. They receive an allowance, and pay for their "fun stuff" throughout the week (I don't buy them sweets or treats - they pay for that).
If they do not get their chores done, I gently offer the task to another sibling ... who can complete the chores and receive payment out of the allowance of the child that was SUPPOSED to do it.
If one child is hurtful to another child, doing their chores for a day is a great way to show love toward them, etc.
My kids (3 still at home) each have 2 days a week that they must do the dishes. M/T, W/Th, F/Sa and I do Sunday. There is never any question of who's on K.P. Their other chores don't rotate (their request). One child does all of the pet care. Another does the dusting and floors. The other cleans the bathroom. They each do their own laundry as needed.
I am completely sold out on the Accountable Kids system. www.accountablekids.com - my 4 year old LOVES doing chores and helping. Well, I guess he is at that age, but this system is designed for kids through high school. Please check it out...you'll be so glad you did. It comes iwth a book and instructional DVD. It's really a great system.
MMM, thanks for the cookie recipe, sounds delicious! It will definitely tide us over until we get the oatmeal raisin one.
As for kids and chores, absolutely, they NEED them.
We have a rotating weekly schedule for dishes and dog duties. The dog duties correspond to the dishes. Whoever has the hardest dish job has the easiest dog job. I get them mixed up sometimes, but the kids know which one goes with which. No way would you want to have to pick up ick if it is your sister's turn. :)
We do have a job jar the kids can pull out of if they want extra money. The salary is already on it, so no squabbling neccesary. And no putting back to try for something else either. hahaha. In the job jar we also have a couple of 'freebies', pieces that say "extra 10 Baht for you!". Those are a huge hit!
I want to check back and see what other suggestions are offered. :)
Hope you get some that are just right for your family
When my kids were young, there was a series of things that had to be done each weekend - trash, vacuum, etc. We rotated the work so nobody had to do the same thing each week. But all of us worked. It was a team effort and their dad and I worked along with them. And they did get an allowance for it!
My kids have daily chores for which they do not get paid. Each child has morning, midday and evening chores. These include clearing the table after meals, vacuuming up the crumbs in the kitchen and taking out trash.
I have three kids ages 9, 8 and 4. The 4 year old gets the table after b'fast b/c it's the meal where there's less on the table. While she does that, my 9 year old daughter gathers up all the laundry and brings it to the laundry room and my 8 year old son empties small trash cans around the house and takes out the trash. My 9 year old also vacuums the crumbs using a lightweight Swiffer Vac. Midday chores are done after lunch and they involve cleaning up the kitchen and straightening the downstairs living area. Evening chores are mainly the same.
I have found that just by doing these simple, easy jobs throughout the day, our house stays cleaner and there's less to do all at once.
When my kids want to earn money (such as spending money to take on our upcoming vacation), I hire them to do more in-depth stuff. Last week my 4 year old and 8 year old wiped down the baseboards with a Clorox wipe. My 9 year old cleaned the bathrooms upstairs and dusted. This way, we all win. I get help cleaning the house and they get some cash!
Oh, and I just have a list posted on the fridge of each person's chores. No real chore chart.
We used to have a supernifty useful chore chart. Then we moved and it got lost.
Right now, we rotate weekly/monthly. For example, Sep. 10 yo boy has to change the kitchen trash, and 9 yo boy has to get it to the curb twice a week. Last month, 9 yo was in charge of daily and 10 yo was in charge of curb trash.
We assign chores after dinner AT THE TABLE. I don't always remember, so I just ask "who cleared the table yesterday?" and assign that.
A 'general' list:
all kids age 4 and up:
put away own laundry (I wash, dry, and fold though)
Pick up toys/playroom
help clean living room
pick up yard (toys, sticks, rocks) for mowing
various wiping/washing jobs
Clean rooms
Kids age 6 and up rotate:
clear table
wipe table
unload DW
Sweep floor (we have four kids in this age range, each one gets one of these jobs per day.)
Help with baby (keep him out of kitchen while mom is cooking, for example).
Boys age 9 and 10 also do the trash.
The kids also FIGHT over who will be my lunch helper and dinner helper. They like to cook with Mom! Also they fix their own breakfast and clean up. They can only have what they can make themselves (mostly), and not the littles, obviously. So the 6 and 8 yo can have oatmeal or cereal or fruit and milk. The 9 and 10 yo know how to make scrambled eggs, so they have that choice in the AM, too.
Almost all other chores (cleaning out van, etc.) are family endeavors.
My parents had a rotating list of chores that we had to do. We were never payed to do chores, but then if we did not do them we did not get our allowance. My kids are a little too young just yet for anything formal, but they actually beg me to help with the laundry and dishes. Crazy huh?
I recently started chore sticks that have worked amazingly well at our house with my 6 and almost 8 yr old.
They have a list of what is to be done for morning, afternoon, and evening. They have to come show or tell me their list. I check periodically to see it has been done since they know now what is expected. They get a star for each time on our calendar. For each star, they get 25c added at the end of the week for their allowance. Also, if they don't do them besides no star then certain privileges like visual entertainment or going outside can be taken away.
Our children have responsibilities (making bed, picking up after themselvs) that are considered part of the responsibility of being in the family.... but, when they do bigger tasks to help out, they earn money that way.
PS -- Thank you for the delicious recipes!!! I see you also have a recipe blog ~~ look forward to checking that out too!
I'm the oldest of 8. My mom used a system I've since passed on to a friend and she finds it works well for her 4...
Make note cards with 1-3 chores (depending on how hard they are) on it. You might title the chore, then give a slight discription or list of things included in that chore. )ie: Clean Hall Bath; swish toilet bowl, wipe seat. windex mirror, wipe out sink, sweep floor, and empty wastebasket)
Kids seem to need specific instructions and often times it takes more time for us to explain every chore and remind them of what it entails than it would to do it ourselves.
Switch the cards every week. This way no one is stuck taking out the trash and dusting the furniture for a month!
I imagine with the younger kids it will be easy stuff like picking up the toys, straightening shoes, etc. You might need two sets of cards, one for little kids, and one for the big kids.
Hi sweets! I recommend Trigger Memory Systems flip charts. They have one for zone cleaning, one for laundry, and I think the other is bedroom. It is super simple for the easily distracted. Now we don't do the "you have this chore" thing. We do everything together, as a family, and as a team on the same side. We do no pay for chores, nor allowance for that matter. Our duties and responsibilities in the home are
our acts of service to one another and our Lord. And if you want computer time or Wii time, it must all be finished. And getting ready for school in the morning? No one touches the tv unless you are ready to go and have checked on your family members to make sure they're ready to go as well. We're responsible for each other, not just at home, but in the world. I think this is a good way to make looking out for each other a way of life, not something mom told you to do.
We also have a daily routine guide that we use to help the easily distracted complete they're tasks for getting ready to go in the mornings and also for bedtime at night. It's been very helpful and has become something fun for them to complete. We use the flip method for that as well. Rise & shine, morning potty, wash hands. Flip. Get dressed (don't forget clean undees), put on deodorants, lotions, etc. Flip! You get the picture. I can send you a copy if you'd like. I also have scripture at the bottom of each flip to remind them why the things on said page make a difference for Christ.
By the way, just wondering if "amberly" is a homeschool mom?
Hi! Thanks for your comment on my blog about boys. I loved the idea of physical exercise as a consequence. Brilliant! I will definitely be using that one. Also, I wanted to add my two cents about chores... we are using My Reward Board. It is a dowloadable computer program that allows you to set the chores for each child(I always forget who has what) and the kids keep track themselves on the chore chart. My kids LOVE putting their animated smiley faces on the chart throughout the day. At the end of each week, they recieve points for their chores (# set by you) which are redeemable for coupons in the treasure chest such as "Time with Mom" - 175 points, "Movie Rental" - 300 points, "Extra 30 minutes on the computer" - 250 points, etc. You can make up your rewards. There is also a way to do allowance if you like as well as a goals section. This has been a lifesaver for ME! And my kids are really, really excited about it. Even that little Rough and Tough guy you read about yesterday. Blessings! https://www.myrewardboard.com/index.html
I unfortunately have no tips. I only have one child and she is 3. If I could figure out how to get her to pick up her own toys with out having to threaten to throw them out that would be wonderful. **sigh**
Not much to add, the mamas ahead of me here have much better ideas than I. My oldest is 6, so we haven't really done anything too formal. They always help with whatever I ask them to do, but it's not static. And, they don't get paid. They get a small allowance every month, just for fun stuff (they mostly buy gum! ha!) but not tied to their chores.
I think a chore chart is a fantastic idea, with clipart maybe so the non-readers can go look at their chart and see what they're supposed to do. I think I might need to implement that... thanks for asking the question!
And, thanks for visiting my blog, I'd love to have you join Foody Friday some time! The more the merrier.
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