With Mother’s Day right around the corner, I think we have all earned a break! I hope your family is good to you on this special day and chips in and helps out with the dreaded housework! Ha!
Here is a great idea by Summer Long to get the kids involved with the housework not just for Mother’s day but perhaps all year long! You can read more from Summer and her tips for a simple and healthy lifestyle HERE!
By Summer Price
The other day I was talking to a friend about trying to keep a clean house with lots of little kids around. Sometimes it certainly isn’t easy and more than once I have had people “stop by” when the house is a disaster zone. That is for sure!
One thing that has helped me tremendously is finding a system that works really well for me and my kids. I came up with 12 chores that needed to be done on a regular basis and I purchased a 12 sided die.
Each kid takes turns rolling the die until all of the #’s have been rolled. It works out for us that each kid does three chores each day. If you have fewer kids they could do more than three chores each or maybe just use a regular die and have fewer chores.
This is my list of chores if you need some ideas.
- Bedroom
- Living Room
- Family Room
- Play Room
- Hallways
- Kitchen Floor
- Kitchen counters
- Dishes
- Bathroom
- Dust
- Laundry
- Parent Choice (I usually choose some type of “spring cleaning” item like wash one wall, or clean the baseboards in this room, or things that don’t need to be done on a daily or weekly basis.)There are some chores that my four and six-year-old can’t quite do yet on their own. So depending on how strong and patient I feel that day ? I either have them roll until they get to a number they can do on their own or I “supervise” them while they do one of the more challenging ones. I try to let them do the work as I instruct them so that they can learn to do it on their own.We write our chores on my Boogie Board, which I absolutely love! It is like an erasable notebook so it is easy for us to keep track of what chores have been rolled and we don’t have to get a new piece of scrap paper to write them down on anymore.Hopefully, if this is something you struggle with in your home like I did you will find some benefit with this option. I like it because the kids like doing a different chore each day, they like playing with the die and there is a lot less nagging from me.
Plus I think they have a clearer understanding of what is expected of them.
Wishing you a clean home!
Summer Price
My name is Summer, I am a work at home mom to 5 beautiful children! Which is as chaotic as it may sound ? . I started my journey to a healthier lifestyle after my 4th child was born. I have a passion for helping other busy moms learn how to improve their health, as well as their families, one small step at a time. It is my mission on my blog to help you achieve the freedom that a healthy lifestyle can bring!
That list looks daunting. -.- goodluck to you! I hope it won’t be so much of a headache!
What an awesome, creative idea for getting kids involved to help out around the house! I will definitely forward your post to friends that have kids!
Well done for getting the kids involved . We have slowly done this, but could probably be doing more. I’m afraid of been guilty of that feeling ” I’ll just do it myself, it will be quicker and better”.
love this idea, makes it a little bit fun.
Great ideas this is. My youngest like to help out, but my teenage son like mostly to keep by cleaning his own room 🙂
I always had to help my mom with chores in the house as a child. Now I appreciate being taught those essential skills and responsibility at a young age. 🙂
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This is awesome! I don’t have any kids but I would love to have this one day. So organized and fair.
Krystel | Disney on a Budget recently posted…Eating at Disney on a Budget
I really love these tips and I enjoy reading this post, having a two boys here was a big challenge for me especially on the house chores. Glad you share this.
A rewards system worked for me. Of course they needed extra cash to save for something they like. If they want cash, then they should complete their assigned chores. If they don’t then they OWE me the cash equivalent of the chore. Since they did not want to pay me, they did what they were assigned to do. 🙂
This is a neat approach! Getting my kids to do chores is always a challenge, so I am going to give this a shot. Thanks for the idea!
Andrea recently posted…Herb Stuffed Artichokes Recipe
Assigning chores to kids make them responsible and helps in developing various skills! I don’t have kids but I believe that domestic chores should be distributed to every member living in the house!
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I love to see another parent who believes in the importance of house chores for kids. I have two teens and they have house duties Monday through Friday. About a year ago, we started focusing on dividing up the house duties. It really helped me out so much because I also have two little ones. By the time the weekend rolled around, the house was pretty clean. Great tips!
Jennifer recently posted…Homeschool Field Trip: Learning About Recycling at Detroit’s Lincoln Street Art Park
Chores aren’t just to help moms around the house, it’s a great way to teach your kids the life skills they need to have for when they’re living on their own. This is a great idea to get them involved!
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We have a chore list for the kids and each chore has a reward beside it. The kids keep track of what they did and collect at the end of the week.
gingermommyrants recently posted…Fun Road Trips to Tooele County for Families
Love this list. I love having a clean and tidy house. Should always make house chores fun for the children. My 8 year old enjoys helping with house work.
I couldn’t ever seem to get my kids involved with chores too much other than dusting. I wish I had your list back then. However, it’s not too late because it’s time to start getting the grandkids involved with chores when they visit.
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