Project: Chore Charts

The Man of the House and I have been talking about how our kids (especially Miss A) are getting old enough to help around the house. They both do a pretty good job of helping when they're asked at this point. We try to think of age-appropriate tasks, both things they do now and things we would like them to do. He and I agree that appropriate responsibilities will foster self-confidence, pleasure in a job well done, and a feeling of familial helpfulness. All that good stuff! We have differing views about allowance (maybe a topic for a later post) but we both agree they're ready for some official responsibility just for the sake of helping around the house.

I searched Pinterest for different ideas. I saw a lot of cute charts, DIY, printable, and some you can purchase. One that caught my eye used magnets that the kids move when they accomplish a chore.

However, I came up with another idea in the end. I utilized the same concept I used for my to-do list I used at school last year. I printed off a blank form and then put it into a picture frame I already had. This enabled me to use dry-erase markers instead of buying or replicating numerous copies of my blank list. I kept it simple - only five spaces. I really liked this format.

So... drum roll... here are the chore charts, newly placed in the hallway between the two kids' bedrooms, right outside the bathroom.

And here's another, closer picture.

Here is a close-up of Miss A's chart. Her jobs are: making the bed, getting dressed, fixing her lunch and getting her backpack ready (with our help, of course, to make sure the lunch was healthy and she hasn't forgotten anything), clearing the table after meals, watering the plants on the front porch, picking up her toys at night before bed, and brushing her teeth.

You can see that I snapped the picture as soon as I put it up, so there are no dry-erase marks. (Yet, she added a sticker this morning as soon as she made her bed! Silly goose!)

And here's Little Guy's chore chart. He gets to make his bed, get dressed, set the table, get the mail, water the plants (with double duty, hopefully someone will get to them each day, right?) and brush teeth.

The best part about these charts is how versatile they are. Changing or modifying the tasks is as easy as printing off a new page and inserting it into the picture frame. Hopefully this will help our days go smoothly!

Does your family have chores? Do you have a place where you keep record of it, or a method you use to keep your kids accountable? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section!