How to start a family chore chart

May 11, 2012 1:00 PM by Molly Cerreta Smith

Posted in Parenting / Parenting Tips & Advice

Get your kids to chip in

Maintaining a household full of kids is more than a full-time job. And since many women have full-time jobs on top of everything else, it's important for the whole family to help out with household chores. SheKnows suggests these tips on how to start a chore chart the whole family can follow.

Start fresh

Summer is the ideal time to start a family chore chart because there are few excuses such as school and homework that your kids can use to weasel out (yes, we said it) of helping out. Sit your family down and explain in detail the new chore system and who is responsible for what. A large white board and colored dry erase markers can keep the whole family organized in one spot (hang it in the laundry room or garage). Individual taskmasters for each member of your family can also come in handy here.

Keep it all in order

Your chore chart is only as useful as it is organized. Make sure you organize your chore chart in terms of which responsibilities are expected on a daily basis (making bed, putting clothes in hamper) and which are expected on a weekly basis (cleaning room, wiping down bathroom counters, etc.) and who is responsible for each chore.

Read about the evolving chore chart >>

Assign realistic chores

Unless you affix mops to your baby's hands and knees, she's not going to clean the floors. Be realistic of what you expect your children to accomplish. Give toddlers simple tasks like putting their toys in their bins when finished playing with them and brushing their teeth twice a day. Young kids can handle making their own beds and sorting laundry into bins (whites, darks and brights), and teenagers should be in charge of cleaning their bathrooms, dusting and other chores that involve using cleaning products.

Make sure you teach your kids to clean >>

Product roundup

Hampers for each bedroom (or each bathroom)
Toy bins with labels
Over-the-door or hanging shoe organizer
Large white board or cute individual taskmasters
Stocked utility baskets (to keep under each bathroom/kitchen sink)
Laundry sorter for laundry room

Make chores easy

Enlist the help of some great products to help your chore-masters accomplish their tasks in the quickest and most efficient manner. Keep a small basket under each sink stocked with clean rags, sponges, multi-purpose antibacterial cleaning spray and any other favorite products you use. In each bedroom keep small bins you can label for toys, stuffed animals, homework and video games, etc. Small bins keep items much more organized than tossing everything into one big toy box.

The use of a hanging shoe organizer eliminates the inevitable pile of shoes at the bottom of the closet, and hampers in each bathroom eliminates the inevitable piles of clothes on the floor.

Give some incentive

Whether it's a gold star, allowance or a special treat at the end of each week, make sure to offer the members of your family some incentive for completing the tasks expected of them. This is also a great way to introduce topics of earning and saving money as well as the value of a dollar.

More on family responsibility

Spring cleaning tips for the whole family
How to organize your family in 2012
Quick organization tips for kids' rooms

Tags: chores cleaning tips organizing tips

Comments

Comments on "How to start a family chore chart"

I agree with providing some sort of incentive. When I was little, money was a big motivator (or icecream, or a movie, etc). Kids then see that they will be rewarded if they listen to their parents and have good behavior. I don't see anything wrong with giving some sort of incentive in exchange for a clean house!