It's not uncommon for world war III to break out in many homes whenever Mum or Dad asks the kids for a little help around the home. For many parents it's the same old battle every single time, so much so that often the grownups will stop asking just for the sake of a bit of peace and quiet. There is a solution! Stop asking yes. Stop requesting a little help? No! Introduce them to the kids chore chart, or the family chore chart if you prefer, and say no more about it. Everyone can see their jobs on paper and if they don't do them then they won't get ticked off the chart. Failure to comply will result in no rewards for the week, usually in the form of pocket money.
let us reemphasize why why the chores chart can work so well. Squabbling with the kids often takes far more energy than doing the task yourself. Kids aren't stupid, they know this. If they can create chaos and mayhem to family harmony every time they're asked to do a simple errand, they know there will come a time when Mum and Dad will just forget asking. Stick up a kids chore chart on the kitchen notice board, or a family chore chart is perhaps better, then they can see what they have to do. More importantly, they can see what they haven't done. You can't hide or silence childrens chore charts.The reward is given out only when the jobs list shows it has been earned.
I know every generation thinks that things were better and more disciplined back in their day, but honestly, back chatting was rarely heard of. We kids had our jobs to do and do them we did or it was woe betide us! I didn't need to refer to a kids chore chart to know I had to iron my own shirts, wash the dishes twice a week, and mow the lawns every Saturday. Neither the kids nor the family chore chart was necessary, but then I suppose this is a sign of the times!
Grandparents might argue further that there was no need for any kind of family chore chart, or childrens chore charts in their day because the kids did as they were told and that was that. Then again, every generation likes to think that they had the upper hand over parenthood and the future generations will be no different. Even so, there does seem to be less respect from the kids these days, and whether that's a sign of the generation, or the more gentler approach to parenting, we won't know until the research is complete. Some might argues that kids who are made to do those little things that the detest the most, i.e. household chores, actually help us to grow into better people than those who were allowed to get away with blue murder!
A lot of parents were brought up with the notion that the only way to achieve harmony in the home is to install strict discipline. Such homes have fear in place of fun, and loathing in place of loving. It is the fine balance of love and control which makes most family homes function the best. Sure, there may be times when a little tough love is required, but that doesn't mean military style obedience, it just means being the parent in control over the kid who perhaps isn’t. The kids chore chart works because it involves the family as a unit, and shows in black & white how everyone does something to make the home tick over.
Before writing this short article on the benefits of the kids chore chart, I spoke with a professional family counsellor who had been working closely over the years with those families that were having problems getting along. There was a special emphasis on turmoil caused by troubled kids with major behavioural issues. When implemented correctly, she said that the family chore chart is invaluable for bringing about a little harmony in the home.
It's understandable that many parents don't like the idea of some stranger telling them how to get a bit of order into their family life, but sometimes some parents (and especially the very young and single mums), have trouble coping and need a little guidance. The counsellor went on to explain that she tries to introduce 'routine' into the home where all members are participants to a greater of lesser extent. In such cases it's not the kids chore chart that's needed, she says, but the family chore chart. Childrens chore charts are all well and good with well-behaved kids, but they're not a very useful tool with disobedient youngsters.
So how best to work your chores chart is the question of many parents new to the concept. Well, the simple idea to rotate the jobs if your kids are older and more capable of job diversity. This way, there will be less complaining about who gets the best jobs because everyone will get to do them all. Obviously a kids chore chart won't include heavy lifting or operating dangerous machinery like lawnmowers and power tools, but common household chores such as washing the pots, table preparation at meal times, taking out rubbish, folding and putting away laundry, dusting and so on, should be on your weekly family chore chart list.
Of course, quite often it's the teen chore charts that are the hardest to adhere to simply because they are at an age where they just want to be hanging out with their mates, and every minute spent indoors is a minute lost outside with their peers. But even so, if the routines are adhered to, even the most troublesome teens will eventually fall into line and realise that it's easier to just go with the flow.
Her ideal of working with a chore chart is that everyone participates because they are a member of the family. For some children it may be a good idea to tie in allowance money or additional privileges for the completion on tasks to begin with, but then teach them the importance of completing the chore chart because the things need to be done and it is the responsible thing to do as a member of the family.
It's a good idea for Mums and Dads to offer some kind of a reward scheme for tasks completed on the chore chart. Most parents in the West have a lot of trouble getting kids of any age to help out around the home, but oddly enough this has never been an issue amongst Asian and African families. Part of my job is to get parents to acknowledge that by allowing their offspring's to shirk away from household chores does little to equip them with these simple but necessary life skills.
Another little trick is to show the children that the parents are also written onto the chart and they too are expected to complete their tasks. This simply avoids conflicts where kids feel hard done by and believe their parents are getting them to run around doing stuff so they don't have to.
Quite often, when the kids come home from school or play, they are amazed at just how many tasks mum has done during their absence. But one of the great things about involving the kids in the household jobs is that many great conversations can be had with a child while completing tasks together.
Here's a Summary: If you want the kids to appreciate the value of money, then get them involved as soon as possible in the household tasks. Although probably a little controversial at first, the household chore chart can really help get those little jobs done around the home, and it won't be too long before the chore chart for kids becomes synonymous with pocket money. There are plenty of printable chore charts online, so why not grab your kids chore chart right now!
Reader's Submission below:
Chore Chart for Families Vs Kids Only Job Charts - Submitted by Becky Wilson
There use to be a lot of screaming and yelling in our house over who's turn it was to do the dishes, or who was the last one to take out the trash, clean the bathroom, bedroom, or any of those other little jobs around the house that kids will try to get out of if they can. I'm sure we're not alone! But there was no mistake on who was scheduled to do what duty once we got the chore chart for families pinned up. And once we kids saw all the jobs that Mom and Pops had to do compared to our couple of menial task, gratitude and harmony was restored back into home life. Therefore, I fully endorse the chore chart for families and scrap the kids only job charts today. They might take a while to work, but work they will with a little patience. |
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Chore Charts for Teenagers Work if you Work them!!
- Submitted by Anonymous Mum
I had enormous problems with my eldest boy when he hit those adolescent years. He was a nightmare to control and asking him to help out around the house was like walking on egg shells with leaded slippers. However, I did look into chore charts for teenagers and decided to get one and pin it up in the kitchen as a test. Well, to cut a very long story short, this chore chart somehow got him to help out where verbal requests failed. He loved to tick off his name when his jobs were done and often came back asking to put more jobs in available slots. I don't know why it worked, I just know it did, and for that I'm so grateful. Simply amazing! |
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