Jun. 13, 2007 - Chore Systems
There seems to be a lot of talk lately around the blogs I frequent about what kind of chore system to use, what kinds of chores for which kids, etc. I guess it's because most people have finished their school year and are sorting out things to make next year go more smoothly. (I know I am) Here's what we've been using for the last couple of years.
The left column is for chores yet to be done. When they complete a chore, they move that card to the right column. The black line that creates the column is just a strip of magnetic tape. The cards are pictures I took with our digital camera, printed on regular paper, then glued to a piece of construction paper, covered with clear contact paper, and a strip of magnetic tape stuck on the back. Big Man is assigned the green cards, Little Monkey is assigned the red cards. Also, the chore to be performed is written below the picture, i.e. a picture of a plate and cup on the counter, then written under the picture is "take dishes to the counter". This is so the kids don't need to know how to read before they are responsible for completing their chores. The color coding is so there is no bickering about what chore goes with what child.
Here are the chores for each child:
Big Man: Make bed, brush teeth, feed fish, wipe off table after breakfast, take his dishes to the counter (after every meal), put his dirty clothes/pajamas in the hamper, pick up toys (before bed),
Little Monkey: Make bed, brush teeth, feed fish, take his dishes to the counter (after every meal), put his dirty clothes/pajamas in the hamper, pick up toys (before bed).
Since we only have 3 kids, this system fits well on the side of our fridge. If we had 8 kids, this would need to be placed somewhere else! Also, we are in discussions about what chore to add to both the kids lists. We try to add one chore after they have a birthday, but we've been a bit delayed in doing this with Big Man. He turned 7 in February, and Little Monkey has a birthday coming up next week.
Also, those little yellow squares at the top right hand part of the picture are extra money earned. They can pick from a list (the green rectangle under the yellow squares) of extra chores to complete with an assigned money amount. For example, if someone wipes down the bathroom vanity & sink they can earn 10¢. Their work is checked to be sure they didn't just wave the disinfectant wipe in mid-air over the vanity. If it isn't up to par, they must re-do the work until it is acceptable. We add up the amounts earned over the course of a week, and add that to the set allowance they get from doing the chores on the refrigerator. There are, of course, certain things they must do just to help the family. They always check if they can get money for what they're doing, but I just remind them that a family must work together to keep a house flowing smoothly.
Well, that's what we use. It's worked very well for us. There's no arguing about what is expected of them, and they always have an option to do more for extra money. This has also shown our boys that it takes a lot of work to earn money. They are quite the little penny pinchers. Big Man saved up for months on end to earn enough to buy a mini pool table, We found a great price on ebay, and he paid me for the table in cash (including $16 in shipping). Little Monkey saves his money up in order to splurge on new Spiderman action figures from time to time. Big Man also has a bank account which he puts some of his cash in, and Daddy matches what he puts in his savings account.
Comments
Jun. 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Michelle32
What a great system!
I'm so glad you posted this complete with pictures.
Thanks for sharing.
Michelle
Jun. 14, 2007 - Great idea!
Posted by kcmyworld
Especially for the visual learners.Looks like something we may need to try.
Robin
Jun. 14, 2007 - great idea!
Posted by Anonymous
I just got the Managers of Their Chores book from titus2, but haven't read or implemented it yet... Also, I refer to my 3-yo daughter on my blog as "Little Monkey"! Which she definitely is...
www.aspiringtosimplicity.blogspot.com
Jun. 14, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by eclecticeducation
Sounds like a good system. :) Thanks for sharing it.
Jun. 23, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by crazybusy
Hi Kathy!
You've got a cool chore system set up here! I wish I had done this when my children were smaller. It would probably be a good thing to do with my 4 y/o since she can't read her chart.
I also like how your DH matches what your oldest puts into his savings account... great idea!
Thanks for stopping by my blog!! :)
Love, Alyssa
p.s. Are you SURE you don't want a kitten? ;)
Jul. 8, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by carrotqueen
I was just designing something like this today and was stumped to think of a way to transfer the chores from "not done" to "done." I'll have to give this a try. Thanks for the idea!
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