Giving your kids chores is a great way to teach them life skills and give them a little more responsibility around the house.
But keeping track of your kid’s chores can be difficult if you don’t have a system in place like a kids chores chart.
Are you wondering how to keep track of the chores for kids you assign?
Using a kids chores chart is one of the best ways for you and your kids to stay on the same page when it comes to chores and responsibility.
Using this free, printable chores chart will give you the tools you need to stay on track with getting your kids involved in keeping your house tidy.
Why Use a Chore Chart?
A chore chart is one of the best ways to keep track of your kid’s chores because it allows you to easily show your kids what’s expected of them each day.
If you don’t tell your kids what their chores are, how are they supposed to know what to do every day?
Instead of nagging them about getting their chores done, make sure they know exactly what they’re supposed to do by creating a chore chart dedicated to their weekly chores.
In addition to giving your kids an outline of the chores they need to complete, a chore chart is also great for providing rewards for your kids.
Whether you give your kids a check mark for each completed chore or allow them to add a sticker to their chart when they’re finished for the day, using the chart as a reward system is just another benefit of using a chore chart.
Hanging a kids chores chart is also great for creating less work for you as a parent.
Simply create the chore chart at the beginning of the week, hang it in a prominent place, and let your kids take responsibility for the jobs on their list.
This quick display of responsibilities can help reduce the need for nagging or consequences for not doing their chores by making it simple for your kids to see what needs to be done each day.
Ways to Use a Chore Chart
The beauty of using a chore chart to keep track of chores is that you can customize the chart to your family’s needs.
There are several ways to use a chore chart for your family, including:
- Keeping track of daily responsibilities. If your kids have the same chores they need to complete each day, list the chores on the chore chart and use the check boxes to mark off the chores for each day of the week. When you and your kids glance at the chart at the end of the day, you can easily see what chores have been completed and which ones haven’t been finished.
- Outlining extra chores that aren’t part of their daily responsibilities. Sometimes your kids will have extra chores that need to be finished throughout the week that aren’t daily tasks, like taking the trash to the curb, washing the car, or helping with spring cleaning. Use an additional chore chart to outline those extra tasks by listing the task on one side of the chart and marking the day that it needs to be done on the opposite side.
Tips for Creating a Kids Chores Chart
Now that you have your chore chart ready, you’re probably wondering what to do with it.
These simple tips for creating a kids chores chart will ensure your family makes the most of this amazing tool:
- Add age-appropriate chores. To ensure your kids can tackle each chore on their list, the most important part of creating a chore chart is to add age-appropriate chores. While you may love having an extra hand with mowing the lawn, younger children won’t be able to handle a lawn mower for a few years. To come up with chore ideas for your kids, start by outlining some of the daily housework you could use help with. Then, think about simple ways your kids can assist with some of that work.
- Get your kid’s input. While it’s probably not a good idea to let your kids decide all the chores they’ll do each week, allowing them to have a say in their chores is great motivation. When your kids feel like they had a part in the decision-making process, they’ll be more likely to complete those chores on a daily basis.
- Keep it simple. Especially when your kids are new to doing chores, it’s a good idea to keep the list simple. In addition to keeping your kids from becoming overwhelmed with the amount of tasks they need to complete each day, keeping your kids’ list of chores short will also ensure each item gets checked off every day. If your kids seem overwhelmed with the amount of housework they need to complete on top of extracurricular activities and school responsibilities each day, it may be time to reevaluate the number of chores on their chart.
- Display the chart in an easy to see (and reach) spot. Creating a chore chart will do your family no good if no one can see it! After you list your kids’ chores on the chore chart, be sure to hang it in a place that is easily accessible to everyone in the family. And if you plan to let your kids mark off the chores as they complete them, be sure they can reach the chart as they work. You could place your chart:
- On the front of the refrigerator
- On your kids’ bedroom doors
- In the family command center
- On the kitchen wall
- Come up with incentives and consequences. Even after putting in the effort of creating a chore chart and letting your kids know what their household responsibilities are, you’re still going to need to give your kids a push to get their chores done each day. To give your kids a little bit of an incentive, come up with a reward system for a job well done, like a weekly allowance or access to additional screen time. It’s also a good idea to have consequences at the ready incase your kids don’t complete their chores in a timely manner.
What about allowance?
Giving your kids an allowance for completing their chores is a great way to demonstrate that money comes from work. But teaching your kids the value of a dollar goes beyond allowing them to earn a weekly allowance.
If you want to add to your financial lessons, why not give your kids a way to track their money to go along with their chore chart?
An allowance tracking sheet is a great way to teach your kids financial responsibility by showing them how to keep track of the money they receive after completing their weekly chores.
To use an allowance tracking sheet, your kids can record the date and amount of money they receive each week. Then, they can decide for themselves how much of that money they want to save, how much they want to give, and how much they want to spend.
To continue the financial lesson, give your kids a place to store each financial designation – save, give, and spend. Envelopes or an accordion folder are both great options for keeping track of cash while kid-friendly checking accounts are another option for older kids.
Then, let your kids decide where they want their donations to go, as well as what they’ll use their savings for in the future.
