Needless to say, when you have a large family, chores are a
must! They not only teach kids responsibility and a sense of belonging, they
make your job as a mom more manageable.
It is easy to get overwhelmed by everything that needs to be
done. Even when the kids help me out a small amount, it helps me greatly.
In our family, I expect everyone to
chip in and help. (Ok, so Jane Maddy gets a pass – most of the time!) Over the
years, I have tried many different chore charts and chore routines for my
family.
While some of them were
great, none seemed to fit our needs very well.
They seemed too complicated or time consuming or rigid for
us to really stick with them.
I
needed something simple that I could mold to my family’s needs.
I think we have finally found a system
that works for us so I thought I would share it!
But first, a few more
thoughts on chores to consider:
1.
Should kids be paid for their chores? I personally think all kids should have
chores. Some in which they are
expected to do just because they are part of the family. Yep, that’s right.
Chores with no money, no rewards, no nothing! Since our chores vary each day, so does this list. For us, the first 2 chores my kids do
each day usually fall into this category.
But then, I also think they should also
have a chance to earn an allowance. My kids get a quarter for anything extra
they do. Typically, these extras
are not optional. They have to do
the chore because they are a part of the family. However if they keep a good
attitude while completing the chore, they can earn some money. It’s a win-win for both of us! (Jennaleigh is so young she doesn’t
care about money so for her she earns candy.)
2.
Don’t expect perfection - This was a hard one for me at first. I
wanted them to do chore but I also wanted the chores to be completed exactly as
I would have done them. Let me
save you some heartache…. IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! I try to teach the kids
how to do their chores. You can’t expect them to automatically know how to do
what you expect unless you take the time to teach them. Even then, it won’t be
the same. For me, it was learning that it was better to teach them
responsibility than perfection. I
sometimes make them do a chore over and I sometimes say a big “THANK YOU” and
then do it again myself. But in
the end, I have some help and they are learning!
3.
Don’t wait until your kids are “Old Enough” –
Start early. Young kids love to do
chores. They even think they are fun!
There are some great charts online that help you know what is age appropriate. However, I have learned kids can do
most anything that you teach them to do!
4.
Be consistent but don’t worry about being fair.
So this may not sound that good, but really is life all that fair? I refuse to
get in a debate with my 9 year old on why he has more chores and
responsibilities than his 3-year-old sister. It’s just life.
In the long run, he also gets greater rewards. I try to stay as consistent as possible with each
child. If I ask them to do a
chore, I expect them to do it like they are on a mission and to report back to
me when they are done so I can check their work. From my 3 yr old to my 9 yr old, the expectations are the
same.
5.
Praise, Praise, Praise – Praise even if the
chore isn’t done exactly as you would have done it. Praise during the effort. Praise for good attitudes. Praise
for helping others. Praise, goes a
long way! If I had someone
praising me every time I did my chores, I might not need others helping me!
LOL!
6.
Have fun and work in teams as much as
possible! Let’s face it chores are
not always fun. But some can be
turned into fun with a little effort.
We sing songs while we fold laundry. We have races to get toys picked up. We take breaks to dance to song. A little fun can go a long way! I also have my kids work as a team as
often as possible. This helps them
learn to share responsibility and to encourage each other! And let’s face it;
chores are more fun when you have help!
SO…. Now, our system!
It may not work for every family but it has been a lifesaver for me!
First, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a big bucket of
craft beads. Originally, I also
bought each kid a different colored chain necklace. (I had to modify this step.) My kids had a blast sorting all the beads out by color into
a craft box. (I don’t think that you have to do this but….)
Next, we assigned different chores to the different color
beads. Now, I went broad here. Remember, I have already tried a million chore
chart ideas. I found that our
chores change daily and we have too many chores to make a pink bead mean “pick
up our toys”. Here is the list we
came up with:
Yellow Bead = Regular
Chore This is the one they do just because they are part of the family.
Green Bead = Extra
Chore This one comes with a reward…. In our house, it’s a $.25
Orange Bead = Good
Attitude A bad one and you don’t get a bead…. But an extra good attitude
can get you extra rewards… a chore worth $.50 What can I say money talks at my
house?
Pink Bead = Act of Kindness
Did they help someone else with a bead?
Did I just catch them being kind?
Ok, I realize I am getting away from chores but it works for us!
Purple Bead =
Miscellaneous I keep this one open.
It could be they ran an errand for me, made a phone call, babysat Jane
Maddy (with me real close)…. Regardless, they did something to help contribute
to the well-being of their mom!
Recently, I purchased some new beads to add a few more activities.
Heart Bead = Act of
Love My kids struggle as all
kids with being nice especially when it comes to their siblings. So this way, I can catch them showing
love and they get rewarded. Not
all acts of love, get a bead AND they can’t come and ask for one. “Mom, I was
nice to John Mark can I have a bead?” NOOOOOOO!
Star Bead = Good Job
I use this one with our school stuff.
Did they get started on their own?
Did they finish their schoolwork early? Did they not complain when doing school?
Silver and Gold Bead
= Bonus Beads I haven’t really figured these ones out but I’ll have it when
someone earns them. I made the silver
worth $.50 and the gold $1.
Here are a few guidelines with the beads.
1.
You can’t ask for them (but you can remind me
that I have beads)
2.
Mom is the keeper of the beads. You don’t always
get what you think you should.
3.
You must get the beads when the chore is
done. You can’t tell me you did a
chore 3 days ago.
4.
You can cash beads most anytime we are home but
you can’t wait till we are checking out at a store and say you have beads.
The only thing I have changed so far is the
necklace. The kids were constantly
dropping al their beads. Right
now, we are using Ziploc bags.
However, I may get mason jars and put their names on them.
I had planned to have them cash in their
beads each week but they like to build up how many they have. To make it easier, I have gone to the
bank and gotten a roll of quarters and dollar bills so that I can easily give
them their rewards. Typically, my
kids use their money to buy icees or candy. John Mark likes to save it up for bigger items.
I think that’s it! Its simple! Its fun! It is working for us! And it’s another
blessing! Please leave me a
comment and let me know what you think?
How do you do chores?
