Homeschool Memoirs # 17- Chores

Oh how often we either say it or hear it … “Too much to do, not enough time!”? I hear it and say it quite often. How do you manage all the tasks you have to complete in just 24hours? There are a lot of different methods on how to get chores and organizing done. Some have a strict schedule others just kinda wing it.

THEME:

This week I would you to share how chores are done in your home. How you order your day with school and getting housework done. How do you decide which chores should be done by which child, of which age? I’m looking forward to hearing them!

Here is actually an entry I posted a couple of months ago regarding chores.  Now that we have been using it awhile I thought I would let you all know it is working great!!!  The kids don't dread cleaing they know they just need to get through their cards and they are free to do other things.  The house is staying picked up for the most part.  Again it comes back to me and staying consistent with follow through for them to do the cards each day.  We slipped quite a bit over the holidays and it makes things crazy messy.  If I just stick with helping them do them then things tend to stay picked up!!

 

Chores and cleaning up has seem to become a bad word around here matched with bad attitudes so this week we are trying something kind of new and it is helping a lot.  I made one set of morning cards awhile ago and the kids really liked following them so I have expanded it.

Each kid has three sets of chore cards.  We came up with the stop light method.  Green cards are for morning because they "get up and go".  Yellow is for afternoon before lunch "they are slowing down".  Red is for before bed "it is time to stop for the day".

In the morning when they wake up they get their green cards which are hanging on a hook in their room.  They follow the cards before they go down for breakfast.  The best thing about these cards are they are picture cards so the kids don't have to read (good thing since 3 of them can't  yet LOL) I was able to print them from Titus2.com because I own the "Managers of their Chores" book (I don't follow their entire system)  You could also make up your own from pictures from Publisher or such.

So morning ones are get dressed, make bed, brush hair, brush teeth, say prayers, then feed cat or dog

Before lunch is zone clean (their part of the loft/school/play area), trash (each child empties a different trash can) laundry (put away or bring to me) then wash hands for lunch

Before bed is zone clean downstairs, clean room, jammies, brush teeth, say prayers.

The few days we have been doing this has been great.  I have to be right there with them but they love following the cards and things have been staying picked up, which is the biggest battle.  So we are free to concentrate on other things.

Anastasia's cards are different since she is older and as they get in the habit of these I will add special Saturday cards for more cleaning and such.  And I remind myself that the more time I spend now training and teaching them than one day they will be able to do more and more on their own!!