Encouraging Kids to do Chores
I have two kids, they both have chores and it seems like I had to remind them everyday to do their chores. They are six years apart so they do not have the same chores, I do chores based on age and ability. I do not like having to remind them to do their chores everyday, it gets old really fast.
I have tried many "systems" in the past to get them to do their chores without me having to remind them, but they never worked. Then I came across this handy little board that you use dry erase markers with and now they do not have to be reminded, they want their stars!
I love that I can change the chores as I need to, it is so easy to erase and write something new. I used to have a paper version of this board but I could not change the chores. Sometimes the kids have laundry to do, other times they might have to pick up the yard, having the flexibility of changing things really helps.
Everyday now my kids do there chores and wait for me to give them their stars, they loves seeing the big board filled with stars. I am not sure why this board works better than other things, but it does. They have been filling it up with stars since we started using it.
This board will not be perfect for all kids, some might do better with other things, the trick is to try many different things until you find what works for you and your kids. The funny thing about this board is, there is no set reward for when they fill it up. I do not give them money based on their chores or promise them anything else, but they are still doing their chores, just for stars.
Both my kids have laundry and dishes as categories, that means that my daugheter puts away all of her own clothes and is also learning how to use the washer and dryer, my son puts away all of his clothes in his dresser, he is too short to hang his shirts so he puts those on hangers and I hang them. He also unloads the washer and dryer, I help him start them. For dishes, my son does utensils since that is all he can reach and my daughter and I put everything else away. I start with anything breakable while she starts with regular stuff. It makes dishes go quick! They both also rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher, that helps a lot also.
Other chores differ for them, my daughter sweeps and feeds the fish, my son is given different chores each day since he is not in school yet so one of his categories is usually "help mom". He also has a category for doing his ABC's and numbers, or any other "school" work. He is almost 5 and will be going to school next year so I like him to have some kind of school work on days my daughter has school.
Using this dry erase board has significantly cut down the amount of times I have had to remind them to do their chores, usually it is less than once per week now. They know if I have to remind them several times to do the same chore, they will not get a star. Part of the star is doing the actual work, the other part is doing it without being told to or at least not being told several times. They are still kids and I know they will forget at times, I am okay with that, I just want them to do it after they are reminded on those days.
Another part of this chore chart that works is, they cannot watch TV, have their electronics or play until they are done with any chores that need to be done, so if laundry is ready to be put away, they must do that first, the fish does not get feed until nighttime so that can wait. This has always actually been a rule in my house, but they constantly broke it. Now, they seem to be so motivated to get stars, they do their chores without being asked, and each of them has asked if there are any extra chores to do so they can get extra stars. I am so very happy with this system and will continue to use it until they out grow it. Then we will experiment with something else...no car keys until chores are done??!?!
