5 Ways To Implement Chores This Summer
5 Ways to Implement Chores This Summer. For some families, summer has been in effect for a couple of weeks, and for others it is just getting started. After a couple of weeks of letting the kids De-stress from the year of schoolwork and schedules, you may find your children bored, and the house a mess from top to bottom.
5 Ways to Implement Chores This Summer:
Summer is a great time to not only get chores started in your family, but also a great time to re-evaluate and implement new chores. With the kids home from school, there’s more work to be done, and work that you do not have to carry solely on yourself.
If you don’t implement a plan the right way, you’ll be hit with plenty of resistance and end up with more confusion than actual assistance.
1. Create a Chore List: There are plenty of free printable chore lists you can find online, and you can also go the route of creating your own list on the computer or just on a notepad. Find a printable online for each child, print it out, and laminate it, or put the list inside a sheet protector. Then, use a dry erase marker or wet erase marker to update the list daily. This is a great way to not only save money and be paper efficient, but the children enjoy marking off their list too!
2. Create a Schedule: Handing kids a list of things to do, at any age, will prove ineffective in a matter of minutes without any additional direction. Giving kids a list of chores, with an attached schedule and time to do it, is the best way to make sure things get done, at the right time. If children know what is expected of them, there is less confusion and saves more time in the household. For example, knowing that the chore of picking up toys is before lunch, instead of first thing in the morning, gives your household order that is easy to enforce and easy to follow.
3. Attach a Reward: There is some debate on whether children should get paid or rewarded for doing chores that contribute to the household but rewarding them for their hard work is a great thing to do to build confidence and show appreciation. Some reward ideas are:
- Allowance
- Weekly Ice Cream Trip
- Summer Outing
- Stickers towards book reward
- Additional time on TV, Computer, Etc.
- My Job Chart
4. Give Them Room to Mess Up: If this is the first time you are implementing chores into your household, this is a learning process for both the children and you. Take time in the first week to work with your children, show them how to do it correctly when they mess up, and be patient with them. It may seem like additional work for you but taking the time to go over chores with them and showing them easier ways to get it done will not only make it more efficient for you, but also save them time in the future.
5. Don’t Overwhelm Them: While children do need responsibility and need to contribute to the daily load of running a household, remembering that they are children first is the key to success. Give them room to still be a child, enjoy their space, and have time to be creative and explore the world. The purpose of chores is to teach your children to help you and be responsible, but to give you more time to spend together as a family instead of putting all the responsibility on the parent. If your chore list seems so overwhelming and not giving you enough time with your children, it’s time to re-evaluate your list.
The key to success when it comes to implementing a chore system is not just about the list, the chores, or the rewards, but working together as a team to make the space they live in functional and a place of enjoyment for the entire family.
Summer Fun Posts You May Enjoy:
Michael’s Summer Summer Passport to Imagination
60+ Ideas to Keep Your Kids From Being Bored This Summer
Fun and Frugal Summer Fun and Projects & Ideas
Exploding Colors – A Rainbow of Fun Science Experiment
Pepper Experiment – A Fun Science Lab Experiment
Crayola Community – Free Coloring Pages
How to Make Your Own Slushy Magic
Melissa is a football and soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 24 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.