I LOVE lists. There is something so satisfying about writing all the things down & then crossing them off as I complete them. For me, getting to cross an item off is at least half of my motivation to do it.
It's for this reason I know I'm biased, but I believe that a chore chart is an ESSENTIAL part of introducing chores to kids. Let me explain why.
Independence
First, a list or chart allows kids more independence. Your child or children can look at the chart & determine what needs to occur next without your intervention, or with a simple reminder like, “have you completed the chore chart today?” This decreases the nagging of, “You need to feed the dog... Did you put the laundry away yet? Dishes belong in the dishwasher, not on the counter!!”
I’m not saying that a chore chart magically erases all frustration & need for reminders, but it certainly decreases the need to remind them about every specific little task. Instead, one reminder takes care of several chores or tasks.
Incentive
A chore chart also provides an incentive to complete the task. I know that I am not alone in my love of lists. While everyone else may not be quite as enthusiastic as I am about them, it’s very common for people to jot down lists on a post-it note on their desk, a scrap piece of paper in the kitchen, etc. Why would our kids be any different? It provides a visual reminder, plus, there is a general sense of satisfaction by crossing that item off.
Variety
We also like to trade chores every couple months, so that the kids don’t get bored. This switching makes a chore chart very necessary! Now, chore trading works well for us because we have a lot of kids close in age. If you only have one child, you can give him a couple different chores for a few months, then retake responsibility for some that he was previously doing to provide that variety.
We love doing this in our house. Our kids get excited about new chores. Plus, it allows them to learn a variety of responsibilities. I want my kids to be well rounded, instead of being really good in the kitchen, but never cleaned a toilet.
Finally, when it is time to trade chores, the kids get to have input again (Check out my blog post HERE, for getting input from your kids). They get to say, “I still want to feed the dogs, but I hated unloading the dishwasher.”
I'll be honest, chore switching does require a little more work on my part. I have to remake the chore chart & teach all the new chores, but the benefits definitely outweigh the cost in our home.
Self-Care
We also use a chore chart to provide reminders about hygiene & self-care tasks. For example, in their bedroom, they have a chart that lists things like, make your bed, put your laundry in the hamper, get dressed. Then there’s a chart in the bathroom that shows, go to the bathroom, wash your hands, brush your teeth, wash your face, brush your hair, feed the cat, wipe off the counter.
This allows our kids more independence starting at an earlier age. We actually started this when our nieces came to live with use for several months. I suddenly had 5 kids under 5 years old, & I simply couldn't get it all done. I literally didn't have the ability to stand with them during their morning routine, so providing the visual reminder was a huge benefit in our home & supported them to take responsibility for these tasks at a much earlier age.
The kids know they should not come downstairs until all the items are checked off of the bedroom & bathroom list. If they do, I send them back upstairs, so they no longer test this. Occasionally, I’ll notice that someone didn’t brush their hair. That results in about a week of me supervising the morning routine for them, which they feel is quite a severe consequence. You see, like any human, they like the freedom to do it themselves, so having mom stand around to make sure they do the “easy” tasks properly is not fun. It now is very rare that they try to claim to have completed a task that they haven’t.
Now, that we've talked about WHY chore charts are so valuable, lets talk briefly about how to create one. You can find a whole variety of options on Pinterest about the best chore chart. Crafty people definitely have the edge here, but I am not a crafty mom. I'm a practical, survivalist mom, so my pointers here will have a lot less flair. Nevertheless, even without being crafty or spending a lot of time, you can make a good chart as long as you have a few specific items.
1. A chore chart needs pictures, especially if your child is young & cannot read or is still learning to read. This seems obvious, but I would say even an older child will appreciate pictures. For our oldest, we like to add humor to the pictures, by adding cartoons.
There are loads of ways to do this. In our house, I keep it pretty simple. I made a bland table in Microsoft word, & then in each box, I insert a clip art image of the chore. Then, when we change the chore responsibilities, I just change the images in that child’s chart as appropriate.
You could also be even less technical. Draw squares on a piece of paper & write the chore at the bottom. Then, let your child draw a picture of feeding the dog. Or, if you have a shred of artistic talent, you can draw it yourself!
I actually pawned this job off on my brother, as he loves to draw. Since we change chores regularly, I ended up scanning his pictures into the computer & then move them around digitally. The kids love seeing Uncle Zeke's artwork every day on their chore chart!
Here's a few of the images he made that we like to use:
2. For younger children, a chore chart needs order & creates routine. For example, we clean the living room toys, then we eat lunch. Having this visually makes it really simple. “You’re hungry? Ah, me too! What does the chore chart say we need to do before we can have lunch?” You’ve now provided an incentive to get the living room cleaned, because they know they don’t get lunch until the work is done.
Obviously, use this tool with a HUGE dose of common sense. I’m not advocating to refuse to feed your child until they do your housework for you. However, I do believe in the gigantic benefit of chores for kids (see here) & in natural consequences. You don’t get paid at work if you don’t do your job. Your child will not be traumatized by eating lunch at 12:15 instead of noon on the dot. Plus, tomorrow they might clean up their toys more quickly, so they don’t have to wait for lunch!
This sense of routine is also important for young kids, who want to know what will happen next. By putting chores & daily activities in order, they are afforded even more freedom & a sense of predictability. Now, I don't make our charts crazy specific. We have an upstairs morning & evening routine (which include self-care activities). Then we have a morning, afternoon, & evening routine chart on the main floor. It includes activities like when they need to complete chores, when its time to eat, when its time to do school work or practice violin.
There's also dedicated free time & "options" put into the routine chart. That gives them the choice to complete certain chores a various times throughout the day, or play. I especially love this, because it gives them them the autonomy to decide when they complete certain tasks, while ensuring it does get done. This means my morning child can get all his stuff done first thing in the morning, & my night owl can wait until after dinner to complete hers.
The kids also talk to each other during this process, which has been fun to see. They have taking the initiative to plan their days (where they have the freedom to do so), based on what one another are doing. For example, they may decide to both do their chores in the morning so that they can play in the afternoon. Or, I've had them help each other with chores, working together to complete Jaimee's chores in the morning & Adri's chores together in the evening, so that both sets of tasks get finished quickly & they have more time to play.
3. Finally, a chore chart needs a way to check off completion. We do this by laminating the chore chart & using a dry erase marker. That way it can be used repeatedly. We did end up buying a laminator, because, as a homeschooling family, it gets a LOT of use.
However, there are also sticky laminating covers that you can buy that do not require a laminating machine. An even cheaper option would be to put the chart in a plastic sheet protector.
As I mentioned earlier, this is an area where the crafty people thrive, so I am sure you can come up with really cool ideas here. If you have one you like, I’d love for you to share it in the comments. However, much to my dismay, I am not in the crafty people club, so I’m sharing the bare bones of how we get it done without spectacular skills or talent.
Now that I’ve shared all the benefits of a chore chart in our house, I want to hear your thoughts. What benefits do you see in your house if you already use a chore chart? Are you a crafty mom, or a survivalist mom like me? & if you don’t use a chore chart already, are you planning to start, or how do you make it work without one? I am not under the illusion that my way is the right way, so I always love hearing what works for others!
As always, love to you all!
Until the next adventure.
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