After spending the summer getting used to being with each other most all of the time, I decided we needed to establish some family routines. I am a lover of routine, not too much routine, but enough to keep life running smoothly so we can enjoy it! I will be honest again and say we have not been so efficient at adopting basic household routines. Like many Moms, I often put the stress upon myself to do everything. Well, I now know these children are old enough to take on a few more responsibilities!
I decided that for my second goal, I wanted to bring in some sort of chore routine for the kids. In my early days of trying to figure out how the heck to homeschool, I was listening to some podcasts. One suggestion I heard was to set up a chore reward system called Choreganizers.. Common sense to reward for doing your chores, but this particular system that was recommended just seemed like a great idea for our family.
Basically, there are chore cards and charts for each child. The parent determines the cards for each child and puts them in their chart to be done each day. As the child finishes each card, they put it in a holder at the bottom of their chart. At the end of each day, each child earns "Mom Money" or "Dad Dollars" for completing all their chores. At the end of the week, a Chore Store is set up for the kids and they use their money to purchase items.
After I told the bear cubs about this, they were super excited! I showed them their charts and the cards they had to complete each day. I also mentioned that having a good attitude while doing them was part of the deal. No excessive whining or complaining.
Some of the cards are very basic, like personal grooming(brushing teeth, hair, bath, etc.), making the bed, picking up toys, etc. There are good conduct cards like helping younger siblings and being a helping hand without being asked. For a few weeks, I kept the same cards in the chart. They did really well. In fact, the very first day, Noah woke up, brushed his teeth, and made his bed immediately. This past week, I switched it up a bit and added a few more cards.
Like I mentioned, sometimes I find myself just doing things instead of teaching the kids how to do it themselves. I guess part of it is a learning process as a parent, you just go for it and see if they are ready to take it on. It takes time for children to learn certain tasks, but practicing is the only way they can learn. We just have to be patient and give lots of praise, even if we often do most of the work while we are teaching them something new. For example, Eli had trouble making up his bed for the first couple of weeks. He was really frustrated because it seemed hard. So each day, I gave him a few tips, but let him do most of it himself. I made sure to make a BIG deal and praise him for doing such a good job. So with a little direction and confidence, he now does a pretty good job of making his bed.
We have been doing the Choreganizers system for about 4 weeks now. The Chore Store is a highlight of their week. It is SO MUCH FUN when Sunday rolls around and the store is opened!! They usually are done within 5 minutes, and they are content with what they choose, even knowing things they want are going back in until next week. I honestly worried that they might want the items that go back in the storage bin after they spend or save their money, but they haven't once whined about that. Even Ava picks her choices and is happy even though other things she wants are in front of her eyes. It's awesome!
Another thing I love about it is that I get to go shopping for the store!! I can pick quality items, along with things I know they have been wanting, but we don't end up with a bunch of cheap toys that break in a day. It's like being a kid in a toy shop for me and for them!
It is also a great way to teach your kids about saving money. I have bought a couple of items for the boys that they had to save for. Noah is saving for a $25 Mario Kinnex set. I do ask them to spend at least $1 each week so they have a reward. Eli saved up his money to buy a Superman cape. Another perk I have witnessed is that they are starting to understand the concept of how money works. When they want to buy something or go somewhere that costs money, which is about every day, lol, I think they understand the concept that money isn't unlimited now that they have their own "money."
I really love this system. You wouldn't have to buy the book to implement this into your family, but for me it saved me the time of putting it all together. It's around $15 for the book which contains the charts, cards, and a store sign. My only complaint is that the charts do not hold up well. I think I am going to come up with something different to keep the cards in, but I haven't determined how just yet. I did laminate the chore cards and Mom Money and Dad Dollars and they are holding up well.
We are still in the beginning phases of developing our chore routine, but so far I have seen good things from putting a fun rewards system into place. I have been more motivated to teach the little bears new jobs around the house. They have been learning to vacuum, sweep, help in the kitchen, etc. It has been good for them and for me! It takes patience to teach young children new skills, but I often think of children who have no other option but to start working really hard at a young age. I am thankful that my children do not have to slave away to survive, but I know that in teaching them daily and being patient with them, that I'm raising them to be productive members of our society and to understand that when we work together as a family, there is much more time for FUN!!
Chore Routine in place. Goal 2. Check.
No comments:
Post a Comment