If there is one thing children crave, aside from time with their parents, it’s clear direction and routine (and 187 snacks a day).
In my 15 years of parenting, I’ve learned the importance a chore chart has on the well-being of the whole entire family. A clean home is a place you can relax, a place you can find things, and a place you can invite company into on a whim.
Mr. Awesome and I’s children range in age from 2-16. The two-year-old doesn’t have any designated chores on the chart yet, but he lends a hand and LOVES being a little helper all day long.
The 6-year-old is also a little worker bee and would take over the whole chart if we let her.
The older two kiddos are absolutely age-appropriate in their feelings about chores. ha! You know what I’m talking about, right? BUT, friends, they do them! And because we’ve always had some kind of a chart for them to cross off, they actually do them without grumbling.
There’s something about making it visual that takes the weight away from the tasks. It’s no longer a daunting list in their head or verbal orders from mom, rather an actual list to cross off.
Prior to this current chart, we used many others, some I’ve designed, and most recently one from Dollar Tree (at the suggestion of my friend, Emily). This one I created is modeled similar to the Dollar Tree chart in that it’s a weekly view, however, it’s tailored to fit our family, and our home better.
If for some reason a child isn’t excelling at their chore (after coaching), or the kids decide they want to change things up and swap chores, I can easily edit the word document on my computer and pop a new page in the frame.
Click here to see a sample of “A Slightly Better Chore Chart”
You can create your own “Slightly Better” Chore Chart using some paper, a pencil/Sharpie or printer, and a frame that includes a glass front. Yes, it’s really that simple!
This is a crazy simple DIY:
Design a chore chart either by hand (old school- using a ruler and a thin sharpie) or on the computer.
When you’ve settled on your design, print if needed, then frame it!
Things to consider:
- Make sure your picture frame contains a GLASS front. If it’s plastic, over time the dry erase residue will build up on it and look terrible.
- I like to use a dark frame because the dry erase residue does get wiped onto the edges of the frame. It wipes off fine, but looks better if you can’t see it easily in the first place (you’re just creating another chore otherwise). Now, in some circumstances, a white (or colored) frame would look better and that’s okay! Go ahead and use it!
- If you aren’t printing in full color whenever you’d like yet, then you need to consider the HP Instant Ink program! I’m sorry to make that sound like an ad, I just truly believe it is the best option for printing great quality products at home. Plans start as low as $2.99/month. Check out my previous post on it HERE.
I know this is crazy basic, but that’s intentional. Dress it up however you’d like, or use it as a guide to design your own! CLICK HERE–> BLANK A Slightly Better Chore Chart
Are you a chore chart kind of parent or grandparent? Tell me in the comments!
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