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Are cleaning up messy bedrooms, tripping over piles of toys on the floor, and chores left undone, a constant source of conflict in your household? While it can be a challenge to motivate your child to do his or her chores, the fact remains, it is an important part of our job as parents to teach our kids how to help out around the house. Helping out makes our home run more smoothly, develops self-esteem, and teaches kids how to become productive members of the family. Properly motivated, kids get great satisfaction from a job well done. Need a great tool to get your child on track and motivated for doing chores? Check out these ideas for a kids chore chart. It just might be the ticket for getting your kid excited about chores and for keeping family task time fun and organized.
Motivation Through Kids Chore Charts
Many parents have found that a successful way of motivating kids is through the use of a kids chore charts. It’s not only an easy way to remind them about the work that needs to be done each day, but it also helps teach financial responsibility. You can create your own chart or use those already created to suit your needs. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Junior series may be a good beginning, but there are many others to choose from.
One of the most important lessons you will be teaching from using a kids chore charts is that earning money comes through doing work. Unlike simply giving kids an allowance, it’s an invaluable lesson to teach your kids that money should be earned, not given freely. The concept of the kids chore charts reinforces the idea that money has value and that it can be fun to be part of a team and help others.
Tips For Selecting A Job Chart
Before selecting the specific kids chore charts for your family here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Make sure chores are age appropriate. When your child looks at the kids chore charts, the chores should be easily understood and able to be completed by a child of his or her age. Children as young as 2 can collect bathroom garbage or help pick up toys. Teenagers should be much more involved and able to do yard work, laundry, cleaning and other tasks that will teach them about household duties for when they are on their own someday.
- Remember that chores are a teaching tool. Younger children make not know how to make a bed or clean a bathroom mirror. Teenagers might not understand why they have to separate darks from whites when doing laundry. Be patient; teach your kids the right way to do their chores. They may not do everything perfectly the first few times, but with proper guidance, they will soon learn and take pride in a job well done.
- Choose a kids job chart that everyone understands. While young children may prefer charts with pictures and cartoon images rather than words, older children should have more complicated jobs that require an explanation. Check out the ideas on Pinterest that have worked well for other families.
- Place the kids chore chart in a visible location. If charts are stored where there is easy access and everyone can see them, they will provide a constant reminder of the chores that need to be completed each day. Refrigerators are an obvious choice of location, but a bulletin board hung in a hallway, a bedroom wall, or near a kitchen calendar are also possible locations.
- Decide on an incentive. While doing chores are part of belonging to a family, a reward system is a powerful motivator. Money does not have to be the only reward. Children can complete tasks to earn privileges such a play date, movie night, or borrowing the family car for teenagers. Placing the reward next to the chart for each completed task serves as a tracker and an incentive for getting chores done.
- Get creative and don’t be afraid to change things up. Attach an envelope and deposit money in when each chore is done. Use stickers, or erase jobs as they go so they can see the progress which is a great tool to help motivate kids. If chores get boring or your kids are growing out of them, challenge them with something new. Remember, the objective is to not only get your kids to help around the house but to understand the rewards of working and developing life skills to help them in the future.
Resources For Finding Kids Chore Charts
If you search for kids chore charts you will find many resources for downloading or printing them out for free. You can be creative and make your own after looking at a variety of templates. Remember to make this a family decision so the kids feel like they are a part of the process. If you allow them to participate rather than assigning them with a chart, they will be much more likely to be motivated.
Kid Pointz has a great selection of printable chore charts, as well as many other charts for different areas of children’s lives that could use motivation. If you walk into a classroom, you will find many experienced teacher use classroom behavior charts. There is a reason for this, the work! Check out Living Well for more tips on job charts as well as design ideas.
Implementation
It is highly recommended by parents who have had success with chore charts, to review the charts daily. Select a special time each day, either right after dinner, before brushing teeth or saying prayers, to review the accomplishments of the day. It doesn’t need to be a big deal. Each time you point out a child’s success, you are reinforcing their feeling of pride on a job well done and instilling a sense of accomplishment.
Whatever chore chart you choose, have fun with the process. Remember, you are not just getting kids motivated. You are making them familiar with the skills needed to keep their home clean, developing responsibility and creating financial awareness. You are shaping their future by providing them with a work ethic and learning the importance of contributing to their family.
