There’s a secret to setting your chore chart so it’s a staggeringly smooth system. Here’s a beginner’s guide to a painless start.
Which one are you?
Mom #1: has so.much.housework. It’s taking up all your spare time. The kids are asking you to play, but someone has to get supper on the table. You want help to get all the little jobs done. You also just want to stop the mom guilt and finally have that tea party with your little princess.
Mom #2: blinked and the kids are growing up way too fast. You want to raise amazing, confident, helpful kids. But you have no idea where to start or how to do that. Chores would be a good start, but they lose interest (read: whine). You’re not sure how to turn “doing chores” into learning life skills.
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Maybe you’re like me and you’re a little bit of both?
Making an effective chore chart is always a great starting point for both these mom’s goals. But the chart needs to be strategic and lead to deeper character growth.
Read on to the why and how to planning strategic chores that will ease your workload AND teach your kids valuable life skills at the same time.
rotating chore chart
What are the first steps when making a strategic chore chart? Try these:
- Write out a list of every single chore you do at home and every chore you wish you had time to get to.
- Filter out the chores that can only be done by an adult. Keep the ones that can be done by children.
- Break these chores down into as many little steps as you think your kids will need (ie: Instead of “clear the table”, younger kids might need “bring dirty dishes to sink”, “wipe the table”, “sweep under the table”.
- Group the chores together into realistic timeframes. I aim for 10-15min. a session for my younger kids. This is approx. 3-4 little chores done in one go.
- Type it out, using pictures for younger kids / laminate (I use this laminator all.the.time – really well-used in our home).
- Find whatever clip or clothespin you want for each child. You’ll use these to rotate through the chores each day or week, whatever you think works best.
- Explain what each chore entails (ie: “clean bathroom” needs to have clear steps to follow). You will probably have to repeat for the first bit and you might need to print out substeps for the younger ones.
- Schedule when to do them (and stick to it!) so it becomes expected, not a surprise.
Looking for a bit more hands-on help? Pick up my Editable Chore Checklists & Routines here to save yourself some work 🙂
what kind of chores should i put on the chart?
Here’s the chart we are currently using.
I’ve got 5 kids, so I’ve divided daily chores into 5 groups. The chores with question marks mean they ask me if it’s needed that day. If we’re short on time or things are still looking clean, we’ll skip for that day.
I keep the chore list on the fridge. We start right after supper, beginning with washing and putting away their own dishes (we do that every meal).
I have a unique clothespin for each child and rotate each group of chores once a week.
My kids start chores young. My youngest was 3-4 years old when she was ready to start her own list. Obviously, my expectations were not high. Often, I did them alongside her.
My only aim was to get her to learn the habit of cleaning up and helping out.
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how to balance chores so you work together
When I choose which chores to put on the chart, I try to balance what skills will serve my kids as they grow, as well as what work they can do so I can focus on my own tasks.
Having help (even if it’s not perfectly done) has freed up so much time and energy for me. I’ve freed up at least an hour a day, which is huge! And the best part is we’re still having quality time doing the “work” part together as a family.
By the end of the day (when we do our evening chores), my feet are sore, my eyes are tired, but it’s more important to me to give a good example of hard work.
I am really intentional with using chore time to do my own work alongside the kids.
My kids have no credible complaints about the chore chart if they see me working harder than they are.
benefits of teaching chores
less for mom-cinderella to do!
Let’s be honest, there are definitely less physical chores for parents to tackle every night. There are positives to delegating. I only want to empty a dishwasher so many times a day. Consider it a mini-break.
But, full disclosure! You are trading in time to do the chores for the time it takes to supervise.
Maybe it’s just my family, but we have quite a few distracted kiddos. My foster children have brain conditions that make learning and retaining really hard. So, I need to stay patient and help focus.
kids stay engaged
Maybe it’s the speed of commercials or all the screens we have these days? Kids have a harder time staying interested in the same task for a long period of time – way more than my generation and definitely my parents and grandparents.
So it really works to switch chores up every week.
I rotate on Sundays because I have a bit more time to re-explain all the steps and get them back in the game. When Monday rolls around, it’s more of a natural system and I sound less like a parrot.
My kids look forward to a new chore group that week. They all have favourite chores and less-than-favourite chores, so it keeps them on their toes.
I want them to learn that there are seasons for hard work and seasons to take it easy. Sometimes we love what we do, sometimes we just have to plough through.
one chore chart, many different life skills
Make sure to vary up the chores.
Pet care, tidying rooms, sanitizing (we have many medical conditions in our home), packing lunches.
You don’t want them to only master the same 3 chores and have no experience in other life skills.
Laundry is mandatory for each child in my home. I can’t physically keep up with all of it.
Expectations are based on their age and abilities.
My 9 year old does every step on her own. My five year old and foster son with cognitive delays make sure all their clothing is in the hamper, bring it to the laundry room, remove clothing from the dryer, fold and put them away after I’m done washing them.
***Update: over this past summer, I’ve taught my 5 year old every laundry step on her own. FYI, she is my youngest and definitely my most independent child. My son can do the steps, but I come with him to give verbal cues for the cycle times.
We bought this laundry folder from Amazon and I was pleasantly surprised with how many challenges it reduced! My OCD/perfectionist child has stopped laundry-related meltdowns due to the clothing now lining up perfectly. My special needs child is able to fold easily with it. And my other children just find laundry more fun with it.
a good start to chores gives kids a servant’s heart
I don’t want my children to do work with a grumble or to do it fast and inefficiently.
Rather, I want to teach them pride in hard work. I remember my dad and grandpa working on the acreage, how their sunburned skin was a testament to their long satisfying days.
I want my children to know that sense of pride. I want them to be unafraid to roll up their sleeves and dive into a challenge with a grin on their face.
I also want them to know that we are a family, a community, and everyone, no matter age or ability, has something to give.
We all are a part of the mess, so we all need to help clean it up after. The world is not there to serve us, we are here to serve others. Don’t hear that mindset much these days!
teaches discipline
I seem to have a natural tendency to get the work done first. I’ve always eaten the yucky vegetables first on my plate so I can enjoy the meat and gluteny goodness afterwards. I do the same with work.
Want your kids to learn how to face work head-on… and how to avoid procrastination so they only have time for a half, rushed job later?
Schedule chores strategically. Either before dessert or before a tv show, things like that. Something that will motivate them to get it done and there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
If I have a child who is obviously not working hard, and it’s a result of behaviour, not brain function, I don’t wait for them. The others can have their dessert or tv while this one child finishes (or redoes a job that could be better).
good, hardworking kids
When our kids are stuck with a challenging situation, do we jump in to help before they learn the value of perseverance and creativity? Do they give up after the first try?
Our kids need to learn how to persevere when the job is not fun, but necessary.
My kids aren’t teenagers yet (we’re creeping up, though, oh my!), and I know I need to start laying the foundation early. I need to be foresightful and start teaching these skills now so my future-teenagers can have many years for these life skills to flourish.
Ready to jumpstart that chart with ease? Sign up for the (free) FAMILY CHORE STARTUP PACK. You’ll snag guides, templates, and resources to get your family from chaos to contentment asap!
more reading:
- Want more specific ideas of teaching life skills in the kitchen? Start here!
- Instantly save your family chore time by avoiding these 5 mistakes.
- Try these 3 easy steps to stop the whining at chore time
- 10 instant motivators to get the kids helping at chore time (with free clean-up playlist!)
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