Chore Charts – Changing Our Home for the Better

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My kids are 5, 3, and 1 – prime ages to turn a reasonably clean home into a disaster zone. In the interest of honesty (as is the rule), I also have to confess that quite a bit of the current clutter was a result of my latest struggle with postpartum depression. Clutter is also a trigger for my mental health issues, which makes the never-ending battle a vicious cycle.

However, it’s a new day, and I have a sunnier outlook on homemaking. Ahem.

My kids are 5, 3, and 1 – prime ages for starting to take responsibility around the house. (Okay, the baby might still just be creating messes, but at least she’ll have a good example.) The older two are pretty good helpers, but we haven’t ever used a chore system with any regularity. I hope one day that they will get a more consistent habit of cleaning up, but as with any habit it takes practice! And at this stage, a bit of external motivation never hurt anyone.

Thus began my Pinterest search for the perfect chore chart. Something versatile, pretty, and easy to use, because the point of using the thing was to simplify my life and not add to the workload.

I hit the jackpot.

THE Chart

This Illustrated Chore Chart from Research Parent is amazing. There are several color choices, lots of chores with cute pictures for pre-readers, and it’s FREE!

I may have erred on the side of enthusiasm when I first showed the kids the chore charts, because the kids decided that I would feel left out if I didn’t get to have fun too. So I made 3.

Here’s what I used to make our chore charts:

Avery Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets, 9 x 12 Inches, Box of 50 (73601) – to give the charts and chore tags a longer lifespan.

VELCRO Brand – Sticky Back – 5/8″ Coins, 75 Sets – Clear – to attach the tags to the charts.

I want to get some Command Picture & Frame Hanging Strips Value Pack, Large, White, 12-Pairs (17206-12ES) – to hang the charts on the wall. Tape will not survive all the tugging that comes with moving the tags.

The beauty of this system is that you can switch out which tasks are assigned every day, which is great when you have one fish to feed and two kids to fight over who did the feeding.

I did make one modification to the chart in that I used a wet-erase marker to draw a grid along the bottom row. Because, stickers. With every fifth completed chore, they can earn a sticker with X number of stickers resulting in a prize. I actually prefer that the chart is drawn instead of printed because we might change the number of squares depending on how things go.

How It’s Helping

First off, the kids love choosing their “tags” and moving them from place to place. I assign them two to three tasks (always including “Put Away Toys” and “Make the Bed” and switching “Feed Pet” back and forth). They get to pick the others for a total of five. The tags live in a container on our cabinet along with the wet-erase marker to fill in the blank tags I made with things like “WILD” (choose your own task) or “Outside Cleanup” for tidying up yard toys.

I toyed with the idea of giving the 3 year-old three tasks and the 5 year-old five, but I opted not to go this route for two reasons. First, I didn’t want to hear about unfairness. Second, and most importantly, I couldn’t keep increasing the number of tasks as they passed age five. I love this chart so much that I didn’t want to change, haha! My workaround was this: Most of the three-year old’s tasks are to help ME with big things like laundry.

So what about my chore chart, you ask, if I’m pawning off tasks on the little girl? The main difference for me is that I limit my tasks to around 5 a day. This takes the stress off of trying to do everything at once, and I have help for some of them. My husband will even see a chore on the chart and do it for me, which rocks! I feel like I have some control over my day, which is huge for me.

Will this always be what I use? I have no idea. As the kids grow, I may have to switch things up to hold their interest and keep them accountable. I’m not crazy about the idea of a regular allowance because we feel that no one should feel entitled to a payday. However, we do like the concept of having “regular” unpaid chores and “bonus” paid chores.

What are your favorite ways to keep track of kids’ chores?

 

Featured Photo Credit: Stock Photo