Daily Dish - Chore charting
Categories: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Chores
For some parents, the typical kids' chore chart ends up being more chore than it's worth.
We've tried several different versions of chore charts and found that all that stickering and starring was just too much. More often than not, the chart would end up on the bottom of a pile of magazines and papers. Even if the chores got done, the chart rarely got marked. Since the point of the chart is to provide a visual reminder of what is to be done and perhaps an incentive to do it, we needed a chart but it needed to be simplified.
A simple spreadsheet with chores down the left and days of the week across the top has worked well for us. Each week, a new chart is placed in a clipboard and hung in prominent location in the house. When a chore is complete, my seven-year-old is responsible for checking the appropriate box under the correct day of the week. Because her allowance is tied to the number of checks, she never forgets to mark it. We leave blank spaces for write-in chores that aren't required but are good for extra credit. At the end of the week, all the checks are added up and totaled at the bottom (good math practice for young kids) and allowance is paid accordingly.
I think what has made this type of chart work so well for us is that we put lots of chores on it. Things that might not be really be considered a chore, like hair and teeth brushing, go on the chart along with the bigger tasks. Seeing lots of check marks on the chart inspires her to want to earn even more.
We've tried several different versions of chore charts and found that all that stickering and starring was just too much. More often than not, the chart would end up on the bottom of a pile of magazines and papers. Even if the chores got done, the chart rarely got marked. Since the point of the chart is to provide a visual reminder of what is to be done and perhaps an incentive to do it, we needed a chart but it needed to be simplified.
A simple spreadsheet with chores down the left and days of the week across the top has worked well for us. Each week, a new chart is placed in a clipboard and hung in prominent location in the house. When a chore is complete, my seven-year-old is responsible for checking the appropriate box under the correct day of the week. Because her allowance is tied to the number of checks, she never forgets to mark it. We leave blank spaces for write-in chores that aren't required but are good for extra credit. At the end of the week, all the checks are added up and totaled at the bottom (good math practice for young kids) and allowance is paid accordingly.
I think what has made this type of chart work so well for us is that we put lots of chores on it. Things that might not be really be considered a chore, like hair and teeth brushing, go on the chart along with the bigger tasks. Seeing lots of check marks on the chart inspires her to want to earn even more.
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