Chores

We've been busy doing chores around here the past few months. It took me a long time to get a chore system in place. I struggled a lot with what should be counted as chores, what should they get paid for, how much, etc. I ultimately ended up blending a few different ideas I had seen and let go a bit of my "they should just do this because it's the right thing to do" stance. They are, after all, only 5 and 3. Our system is working great so far. It doesn't necessarily get all my chores done faster, some things actually take longer, but the kids are learning how to do some basic and important things. And it lets me work a little more on chores during the day instead of having to cram them all in at night while they are sleeping.

Even Hailey, at three, has learned to vacuum her room (well mostly). I do quick once over when she's done but she enjoys finding that piece of dirt and sucking it up. She takes her job seriously as you can see by her tongue.

Tyler is a wiz at sorting laundry and has even learned to take his clothes off right side out to make the job easier on himself.

The kids have a list of chores. Some are daily basic things like making beds, cleaning up at the end of the day, clearing dishes. Others are more day specific like emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming their rooms, washing mirrors, etc. I took a picture of all their chores and put them on a card. The cards hang out on our dining room table and when the kids do a chore they get to put the picture up on the refrigerator.

At the end of the day, they get a stone for each chore they complete. Their stones go into their jars. When their jar is full they get to trade their stones in for $.

The system has worked really well. The kids are excited to put their pictures on the frig and love to get their stones and watch their containers fill up. Some days they choose to do not very many chores and they don't get many stones. Other days things need to get done or they just want stones, and they work hard to earn them. The beauty is that it is really up to them how quickly their containers fill up. They can also be rewarded an "extra" stone for doing something outstanding or particularly thoughtful. They can ask for extra jobs. They can even lose a stone if needed. I've also witnessed them bargaining with each other and Hailey offering Tyler a stone if he would help her.

They love getting paid $ when their jars are full (which takes 3 -4 weeks). Its been an interesting and valuable lesson. Tyler is really getting a better concept of money, how much things cost, and how hard he has to work to make enough money to buy something he wants. And there is also the lesson of how quickly the money can be spent, and then your left starting over again. They are learning to save.