CHORE CHARTS!!
Honestly, I do not know how families function without some sort of chore chart. Chore charts give everyone a duty. I believe children (and adults) need to get up and accomplish something before the day beings. For adults it could be making the bed. For kids it could be just getting dressed and brushing their teeth on their own. If you go a step further and give your kids a duty that helps the house-hold run, it can produce good character.
God’s word says, Galatians 6:5, “For each will have to bear his own load.”
When my kids get up and do not have their own duty, it often turns into slob-zone and fighting. I notice when they do chores, I often see them being helpful to each other, because they feel each other’s hard work in doing a task and completing it accordingly.
There is a big debate on whether chores are something kids should get paid for or not. I believe the bigger question is, are your children learning the lesson of working hard and helping the family? Are they learning responsibility?
(For Example) My middle son had to feed the chickens, the chicken food at the time was in the garage, he brought the chicken food dish through the house to get to the garage, after he had it filled-up with food, he was hurrying, so he sprinted through the kitchen out the back door to the coup. As he ran to rush, chicken feed spilled all over the kitchen floor. He just left it. When I saw this, I showed him and he had learned how rushing made a mess. He then had a bigger mess to vacuum and rugs to shake out…..He learned responsibility.
Luke 16:10
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
In the chores your kids do, it teach them that they need to be doing it for the LORD not just you. God sees everything we do. Growing up, my mom used to tell us when she cleans or cooks she does it as if God is looking at her and her heart. She would tell us that if we tried dusting around the pictures on the mantel, instead of taking the time to pick them up and wipe the whole surface, that God would see us taking those short cuts.
Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
One definition of Responsibility is, “the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization.” Our children need this. They can do this. In fact, our children in America have their parents doing more for them, then I have seen or even read about in any country. Our children need more responsibility and less pressure of performing in activities.
Feel free to use the chore charts I have listed below. I have attached printable versions in excel, doc, and pdf. You can even save them and change the child’s names and tasks.
[Click on the line below for the chart you choose to view]
I need to make a note..my kids reminded me that I let them have PJ day on Saturdays (if we are home) and that Sunday is a day of rest. This is the first year I put chores on a Sunday. The chickens still need water and food, but I will probably move chores on Sunday so we can honor the Sabbath as we have in the past.
Here's How We Do It:
You can make your chore charts your own. Here's some ideas of how we do it in our house. Only in the summer, do we do chores to earn money. This allows them to save toward purchasing something they have an eye on. A rule we have is, 10% or more is required to go toward tithing. This teaches our children early on, our money we make is not ours, everything is God’s...{tithing can go to any ministry or persons to help better the Kingdom}. Tithing is not just for the church. It can be used to go toward the homeless, the elderly neighbor or something creative.
A good website on Bible verses that discuss tithing. http://www.tithing.com/blog/bible-verses-about-tithing/.
Each week I print a new chore chart and hang it in the pantry. On Sunday the kids have to hand in their charts to me and that's when I pay them. Along with earning money, you will notice your kids often learn how to save money. Giving them money is a great way for them to learn they don't like to spend it.
In my home, our Children are ages 1, 4, 8, 9, and 17. The 17 year old no longer has a chore chart. She has had one every summer up-until last summer. She has learned to do her laundry, help us with ours, she also has a job, cleans her own room and her own car. She will ask for ways to earn money around the house and we have had various ideas for her. She makes meals for us and tends to other duties on her own.
As I write this blog, I realize I should really be calling it “Help Me Mature Chart”…. You will notice on the chart there is a required reading and even Proverbs reading and writing section. **Children have to be taught how to make Bible time a routine. Even when our oldest was 6, 7, 8, 9years old; every summer reading a Proverbs was a part of her chart. I can honestly say, there is not a day that goes by that our oldest has not read God’s word. Making it a part of their “TRAINING” is why they will grow to do it when they are older.
I implement the reading (tee-pee time), that is our new little reading corner. My boys all have to pick a reading time Monday-Friday to read their chapter book (Kannon does not read chapter books yet). At the end of the week they have to write a paragraph on what they read. For my son who struggles with writing this is excellent. One of my boys’ favorite things to do is go to Goodwill or the Used Book store and get new books. They get to pick a new book, each time they finish one. Who would have thought that MY BOYS would like this?? I hated reading growing-up, I struggled with comprehension. I am trying to help my boys not become like their mother! lol I enjoying reading now and want them to enjoy it at their age. That is why I have purposely put a night stand and light by their bed and even made a fun reading tee-pee with Christmas lights (see picture). My children are not allowed to have any electronics in their room (mainly because I think that's dangerous and that's another blog for another day).
Some Summer RULES:
I have a tendency of sleeping in a few days a week in the summer (7:30-8am). My boys get up and do their chores right away. No television, no electronic and no playing outside until chores are done. I will wake-up at 8:00am and chores are done. I do not even have to remind them, because this has always been a way of life for them! My boys will even do their chores when their friends come over. I watch/babysit many kids throughout the summer and even when they come over you will find the kids who I babysit helping my boys. :-)
Some rules that if they are broken a dollar gets taken away from them.....
*No Complaining. I don’t mean with just chores, I mean in general. Our children sit in a classroom and are basically routined to such a strict and monotonous schedule through the school year. They are home all day for summer and many parents say the kids drive them nuts. This is unacceptable. Tell the kids right off the get-go, no complaining. Why?
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, Philippians 2:4
…..and PARENTS, this goes for you too. Don’t tell your adult friends in front of your kids..”I just can't wait for them to go back to school”..that hurts your kids….also, that’s complaining. It starts with US.
*No Fighting. When my boys fight, you will often see them running laps around the pond, dribbling the ball up and down twice the length of the drive way (we have a longer drive way), or in their bed reading. It’s easy to get annoyed with each other after being in school tucked into a desk 6 hours a day having your own space, then you are home all day for summer and everyone's in your space. EVERY summer we have to have a long conversation about no fighting in our house. We have no neighbors, so their playmates are their siblings, but often times they annoy each other too. My husband and I have to tell our boys daily how important it is for them to get-along and realize God gave them each other, as brothers, for a reason.
*Ask before getting a snack or drink. Is it just me or does summer sometimes bring in the no-rule policy mentality to our kids? I have to remind my kids even though we are home and not in school, you cannot just graze the pantry and fridge. lol Ask first!
REWARD SYSTEM:
LOVE TOKENS
I use a system I learned from another homeschool mom called the “Love Tokens”. It's where I have to actively look to see when my kids are showing love and they get a token (a cut-out) to put in a jar. With this system you do not receive money. But there is a winner at the end of each week. Whoever wins gets to choose from the Love Token list. This system works incredible. It is because our kids run on our praises to them.
What I look for:
*When we are out in public- holding the door for others, looking others in the eye and speaking kindly.
*How well they help each other.
*Who let their sibling go first?
*Who asks mom or dad if they can help mom or dad?
*Who asks other’s if they can help them?
*Who gives compliments to the other sibling? I love when my child gives the other one a compliment when it's hard.. example: When one of them gets a prize and the other is jealous are they still able to says "wow, good job I am happy for you". I see many young girls NEVER learn this in the home and become bratty as junior highers. It's hard to train our jealously!!
*Who remembers to pray, when the other’s forget at meal time
As you can see this system is all about finding the good in how our kids find good in others. It is a system of “Looking” for how your kids put other’s first and then saying it out loud in front of the other kids..... “Karter, when we get home you get a love token because you helped that lady put her grocery cart back”….My boys compete to do kind things because of this.
1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing. But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction.…"
Be blessed this summer. It's the last summer you will have with your children the ages they are. Organization, routine and instruction are what children long for!