Chore Charts

My kids were so excited when they saw these finished chore charts customized just for them! I have three children ages 5, 2 and newborn; so with the exception of the newborn, the other two can certainly help out around the house. I really have tried about 5 different chore charts and none of them have had the effect that these ones have.

There are three pockets: Daily Chores, Weekly Chores, and Completed. Then, there are 3x2 cards with pictures and writing that describe what the chores are. They fit nicely in the pockets, and for some reason, the kids think it's so fun to move them into the "Done" or "Completed" pocket.
My 2 year olds daily chores are simple: Get dressed, clean up bedroom, brush teeth, take a bath, clean up her own toys around the house, help set the table, water the plants. (Funny thing: I asked her to water the plants yesterday and I caught her outside with her watering can--only she was watering the dandelions!!--I need to show her which flowers, I guess!) Her only weekly chore is to help me in the garden.

My 5 year old has a little more responsibility. His daily chores are: Get dressed, brush teeth, make bed and clean room, clean up toy room and toys around the house, set the table for dinner, unload the dishwasher, and feed the chickens and gather their eggs. His weekly chores are: Dust the living room, vacuum one room (whichever room I need him to), and help me in the garden.

I like that they know their weekly chores in advance and they can finish them at any time during the week, just as long as they finish them! They also know that their "Daily Chores" pocket needs to be empty by the end of the day if they want to play with friends the next day.

Below are the templates for the chore charts. One for a girl and one for a boy. To assemble them, I laminated everything and then cut these two papers right above the striped line. Once it's cut, put the piece with the words on it on top of the other piece and sew (unless you can think of an easier way) the outside corners together. Then, sew on each side of the "Done" pocket, to create 3 pockets. (look at the first three pictures at the top of this post to see what I mean)




The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack is a great resource for helping kids learn how to do chores and be independent. She has even put a list of what a child's responsibilities should be at each age. I highly recommend this!
Feel free to copy either of the chore charts. I truly feel like children need to feel that they have responsibilities that they are capable of completing by themselves. It fosters self esteem and helps them learn to be responsible. I want to raise confident, responsible children who are well adjusted and not afraid of hard work. Almost daily, my son asks, "Why do I have to do this?" and I answer, "Because you're part of a family, and a family works together." I hope he'll thank me one day!