I am one that is all for chores for my kids. I wasn't always, I used to do it myself because, quite frankly, it gets done faster and better when I do it. But with 5 kids, homeschooling and mounting lists, something had to give. I tried charts for awhile, actually I had two really nice Melissa and Doug "responsibility charts." We did them, and the kids would get a nickel for every completed chore, or sometimes the rule was a quarter if they completed all their chores that week. Not a lot, just enough as an incentive to do chores.
Today, however, I have changed my outlook on chores and how we assign them and how much currency we give.
My biggest change is that I no longer do a chart, I love lists, but I don't love charts. So, I assign each childs list at the beginning of each week(Monday). Everyone has some sort of job except Daniel(1.5 years). Philips(3 years) are always super easy, but big enough that he feels like he is accomplishing a big task. Right now here is our list.
Meal chores (The kids do these after EVERY meal, I usually help wherever I'm needed, and I always wash pots and pans)
Isabelle and Addison work together to clear the table after each meal. (I try to always pair Isabelle with these bigger tasks since she is only 5...and yes things spill, things fall on the ground, it doesn't always run smoothly, but every time that happens it is a chance for them to learn a lesson. whether it be, "hold your plate up right and not sideways" or "watch where you are walking so you don't run into the wall")
James rinse and load the dishwasher (again, things don't always go as planned, James especially likes to play with the water, so water does get all over the place if I am not diligent at watching him. Stay patient, in time, he will be ale to do it without flaw)
Addison sweeps the floor (Philip will usually hold the dustpan for the sweeper, if he is being helpful and not being difficult)
James wipes down the table (it is never perfect, and I occasionally go back through and scrub again, or have the wiper come back through and try again, but before we implemented meal chores, the table rarely got cleaned by me after every meal because we usually had other things going on...working has a team gets it done faster and give the kids valuable skills for adulthood )
Daily Chores (these need to be completed once daily, some of them need to be done before school, others can be done any time during the day before bed)
Making Beds (each child needs to make his/her bed in the morning. The big 2 boys help Philip do this chore. Isabelle does a great job all by herself, she's 5 and probably has the best looking bed in the house)
Isabelle is in charge of keeping her own room clean (this means, clothes in the laundry hamper and toys picked up off the floor. I expect it to look this way at bedtime, so she needs to keep up with it throughout the day)
The big boys are in charge of keeping the basement cleaned (clothes in the laundry hamper and toys and other things put away. Again, I expect it to look like this at bedtime so they need to keep up with it throughout the day)
They all work together to clean the playroom and living room (I usually call a cleanup time sometime during the day as well as the official cleaning at the end of the day)
Whole house (I usually have a cleanup time for the entire house once a day. Usually sometime before dinner, everyone works together to make the house look nice, this is the time they get their rooms they are assigned clean as well)
Vacuuming (I try to have the boys vacuum once a week. One does the basement and the other does the main floor. I also vacuum once a week, so it gets ALL done, but this helps a lot with keeping dog hair off the floor and such)
Besides these things, the kids are required to keep up with their own items in the house. We have a fabulous cubby system that my husband was able to get at work from the preschool building when they got new ones. It has 5 spots (how perfect is that) a top cubby(for their own trinkets), a big middle one(for bags and jackets), and a bottom cubby(for shoes). This system has helped keep my coat closet cleaned, and has given each of the kids a space that is all theirs.
As the boys get older and are able to do more things we will add bigger responsibilities to their plate and the little ones will take over their jobs. Working together to run a home is an important skill set for the kids to have, especially boys.
What chores do you have your kids do?
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