One of my goals this year is to start involving the kids in more of the housework. I know – they aren’t that old. But I’m going to dream big and hope that if we start now, by the time they are old enough to do things on their own, the habit will be well entrenched.
To that end, I created this chore chart. Forgive the sloppy sewing – I am not a seamstress. Each family member has their own set of pockets – daily to do, daily done, weekly/monthly to do, weekly/monthly done. The idea is that each week, the kids pick out a certain number of chores (based on their age). I determine how many they do as follows: Age/2, rounded up for daily chores. Age/2 rounded down for weekly chores. Then DH and I take what’s remaining. Everyone is also responsible for 4 things daily (regardless of age): Making the bed, putting away clothes (in drawers or hamper), taking dishes to the sink, and picking up toys/stuff.
The kids are also limited in which chores they can choose from. The baby gets to pick chores from Level 1, DD from Levels 1 or 2, and as they get older, there are additional levels that they move into. I put all the chores on cards and laminated them (making sure there are pretty pictures to remind the kids what their chores are). When the chore is done, the child gets to move the card from “To Do” to “Done” and that is reward in itself (yeah – whatever).
I do still need to figure out a good reward system. I’m thinking of using my collection of milk caps to reward them daily. They can then trade in the milk caps for treats, outings, time, tv – I’ve still got to work on that.
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