How To Make A Chore Chart

Chore charts can be invaluable in getting your kids to do their chores. In fact, every household ought to have one! They are easy to make and you can customize them to fit your family. Even small children can learn to use a chart like this and it will help ease the nagging in the household.

A chart can easily be made with a large piece of poster board, if you have the space, or you can limit it to a piece of construction paper, the choice is yours. In general, the larger the chart, the harder it is to ignore! You will also need markers, a ruler and clear contact paper.

Decide ahead of time if you want to do a chart for each child, or have them all on the same chart. It is easier to keep track of who has done what if you keep everyone on the same page, but if your kids are very different in age, you might want separate charts, since they will have different chores.

We will look at the all in one chart first. Make a row for each kid and a column for each chore. Include things like making the bed, picking up toys, putting dirty laundry in the laundry room, etc. For small children, you can have pictures instead of words so they can check what they need to do without bugging you.

This chart will be a daily one. You will need to erase it each evening after the kids are in bed and they will fill it in again in the morning, so it can be helpful to make a smaller chart where you keep track of who has completed all of their chores each day. This makes it easy to give weekly rewards.

For personal charts, you can go ahead and make the rows for days of the week. Depending on the size of the paper you are using, you can have up to a month's worth of chores marked down on the chart. Write the child's name at the very top, so you don't get confused.

It helps to have kids participate in helping create the charts. They can add fun drawings, stickers or glitter to their chart to make them more interesting. Let them decorate before you cover the charts with contact paper.

With contact paper in place, you have a surface that can be written on with dry markers, like those you use on whiteboards. Attach a whiteboard marker to the chart with a piece of yarn and hang it up on the wall or fridge. Make sure it is within reach of the children, so they can mark off their chores. As each one is finished, it gets a check in the box below it. You can see at a glance which chores have been done and which have been neglected.

A chore chart can be a very handy way to keep track of what your kids are doing. Implementing a reward system, where the child who completes all their chores for the week or month can be a great way to keep them motivated. Some families also offer stickers instead of dry markers. This means that your charts won't be reusable, but it can be a reward in itself for a child!