I've received a few requests to tell more about my story so if you've read this before... I've made it longer and filled in some gaps. I'm a bit of an introvert so I really just didn't think people would be interested but I'm glad to share more.
It was when my oldest daughter turned nine that I realized my time with her at home was half over and yet I still had so much more to teach her before she would be ready for the world. I felt panicky. How could I teach her and her siblings everything they needed to know before they went off on their own? Learning how to better care for themselves and their surroundings seemed like a good place to start. I was still doing virtually everything for my girls. During the week, as soon as my children got on the school bus I would run around the house and clean up their breakfast dishes, pick up their dirty clothes, make their beds, pick out their outfits for the next day and several other tasks they should be doing for themselves. I had always thought a chore chart would be great but nothing on the market worked for our family. They were not flexible enough and I needed something that would work for beginning readers yet give clear expectations for consistency and I needed one for multiple children. It had to be versatile, self-policing, and something that didn’t require me to nag my children. I needed a hook; something that would motivate and excite them. I looked at EVERY chore chart on the market but they all fell short. |
Find Motivation
I am thankful for all of those people that said NO to me. It is because of them I did it myself." ~ Albert Einstein |
I DID want something...Nice and Tidy: I wanted one that would look neat every day. No magnet mess or dry erase smears.
Lightweight: I wanted something lightweight that would hang easily. Versatile: Chore charts can get tiresome. I wanted something that I could change up and make new again. Our school year routine is different from our summer routine. Also, sometimes you just need a change but I also didn’t want to have to buy a different chore chart every time the old one got stale. With Clear Expectations: I needed one that would allow me set clear expectations for today but allow for change in the future. For example my expectations for my youngest when making her bed was simple "pull up the covers". That's it. That is all I expected at first but I knew that later I would expect more so when I'm ready I just need to erase and rewrite my expectations. This way both my child and I clearly know when a chore has been completed. With Pictures: I needed one with pictures. I have some early readers and I wanted them to feel successful and clearly know what they needed to do. Appealing to all ages: Nothing too toyish but something that would engage my children and draw them to look at it. I wanted something with pretty pictures the kind that draws you deeper into a favorite book as a child. To Work Cohesively yet be Individual to Each Child: No duplicates of housework. With Some Rewards and Some Responsibilities:
That Needed No Nagging: I really hate having to ask/tell my kids to do things over, and over, and over again. Just telling them to do something didn't typically have the results I wanted. I wanted one that encouraged independence as ultimately the goal is to raise independent children that can stand on their own. |
I DID NOT want...Something Messy: I don’t need more mess.
Something Static: I didn't want a static list of the same 10 chores for each kid every day. Unclear Expectations: With a static list of chores it is unclear if a child is supposed to do all the chores every day. I wanted something that had clear expectations. I mean do you really want your plants watered everyday - yikes! Only Text: I didn't want one with only words. Toys on my Walls: I didn't want a big plastic brightly colored toy hanging on my wall. Duplicates of Household Chores: I don’t need 3 kids getting mail or loading the dishwasher. No Responsibilities OR No Rewards: Other charts only have one OR the other but not both.
Nagging: I didn't want to have to nag or fight with my kids to do chores. |
I was determined to figure this out.
My kids are growing and I needed a plan that would motivate them. One night I had this idea of how all the things that I did want in a chore chart could come together. The next morning I got to work creating cards for my kids, on each card was a picture showing the task and I bought a pocket chart and set it up. To my delight my kids loved it! It was crazy, my kids were doing all of their chores and asking for more, They were always excited to settle up. They kept asking for me to add new chores and they came up with the idea of doing chore wars. You wouldn't of thought these were the same kids. Really, really, really they loved it! This is when I decided that I had something that I wanted to share with others. This chore chart works!
We are the kid family in the neighborhood and so all the kids would come over and they would want one too. They would even work with my kids to clean our house so that their friends, my kids, could earn tickets and buy things at the family store. If the kids were bored they would ask to look in the family store which is really just a box I keep up high in the closet with new fun things. Bubbles, water balloons, new board games and that kind of stuff so when the kids are bored and want something new to do they get to cleaning. However a family store could be as simple as a list that you keep in a pocket of the chart. For example: 5 tickets = you choose what’s for dinner, 10 tickets = later bedtime, 15 tickets = trip to the park, 20 tickets = playdate, 40 tickets = have a friend sleep over etc… Just know that they don’t have to be things that cost money.
Another hook I use for my kids is that they now needed to earn their screen time. They could pay for screen time with tickets. When it comes to screens I felt like I was always saying “get off the screen, go find something else to do” but now I know how much time they are really on a screen and if they are within acceptable time limits then I don’t nag them about it and they LOVE that but since they are filling their days completing their Responsibilities and Work for Ticket chores I know that they are learning how to better balance work and play.
One other thing I did was that I broke the chores down into simple chores. For me to tell my kids to 'clean the bathroom' was just too overwhelming but if they had four chores one to clean the bathroom mirror, one to wipe down bathroom counter and sink, one to fill the hand soap & change out the hand towels and another to clean the tub then all of sudden that wasn't so overwhelming and I had my bathroom clean. When they have a plan broken down into smaller steps they feel more in control and better understand what is needed.
Maybe the best hook for my kiddos is the fact that I tell my kids that they don't even have to do the chores. I can hear jaws dropping... but let me explain: If they want playdates, screen time, family store items, or to earn some money they do their chores – it is that simple. And if they don't want to do any of those things then that's ok and I know that they are not on a screen which to me is another win. Either way it’s a win/win situation. However, in our home if they do all their chores without complaint then they get paid double tickets so the kids happily do their chores!
My girls all love the chore chart for different reasons. My oldest loves that she has more control and now has a way to earn money so if she wants something she can work for it, my middle miracle gets bored often and this gives her something to do that makes her feel good and allows her to learn new things, my little one most enjoys the one on one time with me teaching her how to do new things,
This works so crazy incredibly well for us that I wanted to shout from the roof tops that I figured it out!!! I broke the code! My kids are doing chores, I don’t even have to remind them! They are happy, helping and best of all my KIDS LOVE IT! What parent wouldn't love that!!!
This really is the best chore chart out there and you will find that your kids will actually be motivated to do chores. I truly hope you love it as much as we do!
We are the kid family in the neighborhood and so all the kids would come over and they would want one too. They would even work with my kids to clean our house so that their friends, my kids, could earn tickets and buy things at the family store. If the kids were bored they would ask to look in the family store which is really just a box I keep up high in the closet with new fun things. Bubbles, water balloons, new board games and that kind of stuff so when the kids are bored and want something new to do they get to cleaning. However a family store could be as simple as a list that you keep in a pocket of the chart. For example: 5 tickets = you choose what’s for dinner, 10 tickets = later bedtime, 15 tickets = trip to the park, 20 tickets = playdate, 40 tickets = have a friend sleep over etc… Just know that they don’t have to be things that cost money.
Another hook I use for my kids is that they now needed to earn their screen time. They could pay for screen time with tickets. When it comes to screens I felt like I was always saying “get off the screen, go find something else to do” but now I know how much time they are really on a screen and if they are within acceptable time limits then I don’t nag them about it and they LOVE that but since they are filling their days completing their Responsibilities and Work for Ticket chores I know that they are learning how to better balance work and play.
One other thing I did was that I broke the chores down into simple chores. For me to tell my kids to 'clean the bathroom' was just too overwhelming but if they had four chores one to clean the bathroom mirror, one to wipe down bathroom counter and sink, one to fill the hand soap & change out the hand towels and another to clean the tub then all of sudden that wasn't so overwhelming and I had my bathroom clean. When they have a plan broken down into smaller steps they feel more in control and better understand what is needed.
Maybe the best hook for my kiddos is the fact that I tell my kids that they don't even have to do the chores. I can hear jaws dropping... but let me explain: If they want playdates, screen time, family store items, or to earn some money they do their chores – it is that simple. And if they don't want to do any of those things then that's ok and I know that they are not on a screen which to me is another win. Either way it’s a win/win situation. However, in our home if they do all their chores without complaint then they get paid double tickets so the kids happily do their chores!
My girls all love the chore chart for different reasons. My oldest loves that she has more control and now has a way to earn money so if she wants something she can work for it, my middle miracle gets bored often and this gives her something to do that makes her feel good and allows her to learn new things, my little one most enjoys the one on one time with me teaching her how to do new things,
This works so crazy incredibly well for us that I wanted to shout from the roof tops that I figured it out!!! I broke the code! My kids are doing chores, I don’t even have to remind them! They are happy, helping and best of all my KIDS LOVE IT! What parent wouldn't love that!!!
This really is the best chore chart out there and you will find that your kids will actually be motivated to do chores. I truly hope you love it as much as we do!
Success! |
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