Ideas for Chore Charts

From LoveToKnow Kids

If you want to keep your children on track so they understand what you expect from them, you might find these ideas for chore charts helpful.

Keep chores age appropriate.

Some Ideas for Chore Charts

Ask your children for ideas.

Give your children some choices about the kinds of chores they will be doing. In every household, there will be some chores that no one really enjoys, but need to be done just the same. The fair thing to do is to rotate the chores that need to be done so that one person doesn't get stuck with the "yucky" jobs all the time.

Decide whether chores should be linked to privileges.

For some families, chores are something that everyone is expected to do, simply because they are a part of the family unit. For others, whether the children receive an allowance is based on how well they complete their chores. Another option available to you is to assign a point system to different chores and once the children accumulate a certain number of points, they can use them to get something they want or to do an activity that the whole family will enjoy. Whichever strategy you decide to use, choose one and stick with it.

Make sure the chart is clear and easy to read.

You will want to make sure that you and your children can take a quick look at the chart and know what chores need to be done and which ones have been completed. You can use check marks for this purpose or use stickers. Again, let your children have a say in the way this is handled. If they will be more motivated if you use colorful stickers, then that is the right choice for your family.

Do your own chores, too.

Children pick up on how their parents behave more than what they say, and if you regularly decide not to do your own chores, your children get the message that they really aren't all that important. There may be circumstances where you don't get things completed in a timely manner, such as when a family member is ill or an emergency happens. When these situations come up, explain to your children that you are not slacking off doing your own chores and that you will get back on track as soon as you can.

Give your children positive feedback for doing their chores.

Notice when your children do something right and compliment them on it. It can be easy to get into a rut and only talk to them about their behavior when you need to discipline them. If you make a point of giving positive attention as well, they are more likely to continue to do their chores the way you expect them to.

Monitor your system and make changes as appropriate.

If the first set of ideas for chore charts you try isn't working, then try something else. It may take a bit of tweaking before you come up with a system that works for your family. You know your children best and what will work best for them. If you need to have separate charts for each child to keep them motivated, then that is an option to consider.

Make sure your children know how to do their chores properly.

It's not enough to simply assign your children to certain chores. You will also want to make sure that they know how to do what you would like them to do. If they aren't able to do their chores correctly, they may become frustrated and will not want to continue. Work with them to make sure that they can perform the activity or give them something else to do.

Set up consequences for chores left undone.

If your children don't do their chores as assigned or don't do them correctly, there needs to be consequences for their actions. Make sure that they are aware of them and keep them consistent every time the child doesn't behave the way you expect. That is how they learn responsibility.