While I love everything that has to do with organizing, chore charts and systems have really eluded me.
My children clean with me. We homeschool, they're with me all the time. We usually are working side-by-side. So chore charts aren't really needed. I only have 2 of my 4 at home with me, so those elaborate systems aren't necessary.
Chore charts where you check off the work doesn't fit for us. Simply telling my 5 y/o , "Go clean your bedroom" doesn't work. Many times they don't know where to start or they're not really capable of listing in their own minds what to do first, next, etc.
The Zone cleaning looked good but a bit too complicated. While I love the idea of itemizing what they had to do in each room/zone, the flip chart was annoying and the the days of the week on each card wasn't necessary. Again, we work side-by-side.
What was I looking for?? Something where I could list what they had to do in each room but, NOT have to constantly say, "Did you remember to wipe this?" Or "That?" I was seriously getting annoyed with the sound of my own voice.
I decided to make up my own. Why?? Because I could customize the cards for what I needed. I wanted to keep it simple BUT, I also wanted to list what needed to be done by them.
Both my Caveman and Princess are box checkers. They love to check off lists, so my idea was a brilliant one.... Ready??? (Ok i'm joking here. It's not that brilliant, but it works)
Chore cards!!! yup...simple. They have a chore card for each room, I hand them a card, they grab a dry erase marker and away they go. They come back with the card checked off or with any questions and then I hand them their next room or zone.
How did I make these?? Easy.....
You can make these with Word. You can keep it simple or use something like I did. I got these "Work Box Tags" From Little Learning Lovies. I opened up the files in "Preview" and I was able to type right on them with my customized lists. Then I printed them out, cut them and laminated them!! It's THAT easy.
Little Learning Lovies also has these larger "Assignment Cards" that work well too. These work better for younger children. You can add a picture for what they need to do.
You can get creative with these and use any backgrounds you want. I had these on my computer and the kids liked them. I first made them the larger ones but they really didn't need that. Then I made the smaller ones and they liked that better.
Now when we clean, or when rooms need to be tidied up, I just hand them the card. This seems to work well.
One thing I've noticed is that we expect our children to clean things but haven't really taken the time to teach them. Keep in mind when you make these lists, there may still be some teaching that needs to be done. For example, I made my kids a laundry card but they're not really sure how to wash clothing. This is something that i'm going to teach them as we go. Yes, they can pick up dirty wash, put away their clean laundry and even separate but neither one have really started the washer and added the soap yet...that's coming. :)
My children are with me all the time and like I said earlier, we usually clean side-by-side, so many chores have been learned by watching me. When I see something not done correctly, I make sure that they have been taught the proper way. Once i know that they've been taught, I then expect a certain level of work. For example, my 8 y/o can make her bed like a champ but my 5 y/o isn't going to be able to tuck the corners like his sister. I try to keep my expectations reasonable.
We've been using this for about 2 weeks now and I really like it. I can add to it and tweak the cards as I need. It's simple but effective.
I usually have my children do the same room together and because the lists are itemized, they don't need me. David isn't as strong a reader as Sarah and I've noticed him saying to Sarah, "What does that say?" And she helps him. Sarah is a strong cleaner and organizer, like her mom.. Yesterday David got frustrated because Sarah usually delegates to him. He got frustrated and told her. SO I overheard her say, "Do you want to wipe the table and chairs and i'll do the floor?" David said, "Yes!! Please".
Not only are they taking ownership of their chores they're working out the kinks too!!
I told them that they did a great job!! My little guy asked me if I was going to pay him?? I said, "Yes with a roof over your head, food and warm soft bed". ** I don't believe in paying for chores or school work.**
God Bless and Happy Cleaning,
Laura
Loving, Learning & Leaning on Christ!
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