12 Chore Chart Tips For Success

12 Chore Chart Tips For Success

1. Be reasonable in your expectations. Research what chores your child may be capable of handling. Sometimes a chore is beyond a child’s ability level and sometimes a slight modification can help a child achieve success. Use age appropriate chores to include on your chore charts. If you want to teach your children to hang their clothes in their closets, make sure the clothing rod doesn’t need to be lowered to a more appropriate level. If you want the beds made neatly everyday, keep in mind that for young children, maneuvering a top sheet, duvet, quilt, and pillows can turn into a very big job. You may need to streamline or modify things in your home to make them more accessible to your children.

2. Be an example. If your children consistently see the grownups slacking off with their chores, chances are they will learn to do the same. Consider making a specific time of the day when most of the chores are performed. Everyone working together is much more motivating than someone slaving away while enviously listening to others laughing and playing.

3. Involve the kids in the process of selecting a chart. The more children feel they are involved in making decisions, the more they will feel ownership of those responsibilities. Consider holding a family council before implementing a new chore chart system. Allow some decisions to be made by the kids.

4. Consider your rewards.Are you going to make chores a requirement for an allowance? Are you going to allow chores to be done in exchange for other privileges? Is a sticker system the best fit for your family? Determine what reward system would best work with your family. Don’t forget to gently stress the obvious rewards of having a clean and organized home.

5. Make chore charts visual. Many children need a visual prop to help them completely understand new ideas. Making a chore chart or system visual can help them stay focused. Consider if people in your family have other learning tendencies. For example if you have a child who really needs to hear to understand. Consider reading the chores aloud to them. People who are tactile and kinetic learners may need to be able to physical cross off items on a list, or move completed cards from their flower pot, etc.

6. Have consequences without being harsh. If your children fail to complete their chores there have to be consequences. Sometimes the consequences are a natural occurrence. For example if your son always wears his favorite shirt on Fridays, but failed to collect all the laundry from his room, he’ll probably end up wearing a different shirt. Other times you may have to take away rewards, or other activities that are enjoyable. Don’t forget that many times we have extenuating circumstances that keeps us from performing a job well. Sometimes offering to help a child who has fallen behind can get them caught up without completely letting them off the hook.

7. Get organized before you expect everyone else too. If your home is in such disarray that nothing has its own place, it is very impractical to expect a child to put everything where it belongs. If your home and your systems of organization are a mess, chores will be a losing battle. First set up your home in a way that makes it possible for the family to complete chores. Try these beginning organizational articles for help in getting started.

8. Make sure there are breaks.All work and no play…well you know. Allow the kids to break up long chores. Surprise them by including fun activities in their chore charts. Slipping in a request for a swimming party among the regular chores can be very surprising and encourage children to actively check the charts.

9. Keep it interesting. Don’t feel locked into one system. If your kids get bored consider changing up the routine, the visuals, or possibly the rewards.

10. Supervise. Keeping an eye out for what is and isn’t getting done can help you determine what you can do to make the chore chart system more successful. Setting up chore charts doesn’t mean that the adult’s responsibility for delegated chores is completely gone. Like any good supervisor, parent’s must instead help make sure that the system is going smoothly. Due Date before dinner than before bed.

11. Train your workers. Most jobs require a training period and for many kids this can be helpful in a chore system. Parents often have expectations of how a job will be performed that can be different than their children’s. Teaching a child the process of a chore and what you expect from the finished result can go a long way in insuring success. Consider writing a short cleaning guide for certain chores or steps involved. Check out the fifteen minute cleanups for ideas.

12. Include homework and mandatory activities. Don’t forget that kids have other obligations besides chores. Make sure there is plenty of time for homework and other mandatory activities. If you see that a child is struggling under the weight of all they have to do, consider removing some responsibilities or activities to relieve the burden.

What Children Must Realize

Children need to realize that they don't run the household and that there are distinct differences between children and adults. Too often parents take it for granted that children instinctively know this. These differences must be outlined so there is no ambiguity. Do your children know these differences?

• Children are not adults.
• Children have no authority over adults.
• Children do not tell adults what to do, how to speak, or how to act.
• Children do not make demands on adults.
• Children do not correct adults.
• Children do not interfere with or interject their comments or opinions in conversations held between adults.
• Children are expected to follow directions and requests made by adults. Adults may give a reason but are not required to explain or justify their actions or decisions to children.
• Children are not allowed to ask for an explanation or to demand a justification for an action or decision made by an adult. In other words, children should not be allowed to ask “why?” and adults should not be required to explain “why” to children.
• Children may have some choices, privileges and freedoms, but only those choices, privileges and freedoms that are given to them by their parents.
• Adults will always have special privileges.
• Children have no right to question the fairness of the special privileges or behaviors enjoyed by adults.
• Children have a legal right to adequate food, shelter, education, medical care and clothing. Parents are not required to give their children anything else. Parents are not required to be generous with their time, money or personal belongings.
• Children are not allowed to hit, kick, stomp, slam doors, throw anything or use any other physical or verbal means to express dissatisfaction or anger with a statement or a decision made by a parent or adult.
• Children are not allowed to hurt anyone or force anyone to do anything
• Children make a conscious choice to follow or break a house rule or treat parents or other adults in a disrespectful and discourteous manner
• Children must realize that the consequences for breaking a house rule may result in the loss of some freedom, choices and privileges.
• Children may not use the excuse that they did not know about a house rule or that they did not understand what type of behavior was expected. If a child is in doubt about a certain behavior or action, the child is expected to ask a parent or an adult beforehand whether that type of behavior or action is acceptable before engaging in the behavior.
• Children may not use “I didn’t know” or “No one told me” as an excuse for inappropriate behavior.