Chore Chart for kids: Here's how you can make household tasks fun and innovative

You may often struggle to make your children organised in their day-to-day lives. Especially now, with the holidays starting. But it’s normal. Most kids share this trait.

What can you read in this article?

• A Chore Chart for kids: How to make one for your kid
• What makes a good chore chart?
• What to keep in mind before you buy or make a chore chart?
• Where to buy chore charts?

It’s not part of their nature to think in a planned manner. When kids are young, they depend on their parents for each and everything. As a child grows, parents need to nurture them in the right manner. Which is where a chore chart for kids can come in handy.

It encourages independence and self-direction and is expert-approved.

As the Centre for Parenting Education advises “Doing chores willingly requires mature judgment, less impulsivity, and more awareness of others’ perspective. Children are not born with these traits; they develop gradually as children grow and mature.”

So if you are looking to motivate them and instil a sense of responsibility by teaching them life skills, chore charts can be extremely helpful. Here’s how.

A Chore Chart for kids: How to make one for your kid

Chore chart for kids will help you lay out clear expectations from your children. It is a simple and powerful tool to track the development of the kids and helps them manage their week. There are age-appropriate chores for kids, so while choosing for your child, keep that in mind.

What makes a good chore chart?

Keep it simple

Chores can look extremely daunting, so the best idea is to keep your chore chart extremely simple. Kids can be motivated to do more when they get success with smaller tasks. Once kids get the hang of it, then you can add more tasks to their chart.

Provide instant rewards

Kids will often resist housework, they want to have fun and play. They don’t want to work on a task. A good chore chart always gives instant rewards. This way they get excited, thanks to positive affirmation, praises and rewards for doing good work.

Be more specific with tasks

A good chore chart should be more specific. It should describe what the child should do and at what time, if possible. For instance, instead of saying ‘clean the kitchen,’ be more specific in saying what needs to be done. Explain the steps on how that needs to  be done and how it will help the kid and the house.

Be good role models

You must encourage participation by showing how things are done. Young children especially love to help and they will feel like a contributing member of the family.

Keep room for rotation

At least one chore on the chart should familiar– something that kids are already doing at least 50 percent of the time. This helps the child to feel that can even get successful in a particular work if they practice it.

Be patient and set age-appropriate expectations

It is very important to have the right expectation from your kid while setting up the task. Communicate these clearly. For instance, if you asked your kid to help clean the bookshelf and pick up a few books, explain the process and what you expect as an end result. Don’t be harsh if they are unable to do it. Instead, try to be helpful and constructive with your feedback.

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What to keep in mind before you buy or make a chore chart?

• Consider the age of your child, gender, and personality.
• Ask yourself: Do they like a lot of visuals? Do they like cartoons or bright colours?
• Take time to consider what chores you need help with and what life skills you would like your children to learn,

Here’s is a good example of a chore chart for toddlers and preschoolers 

• Make your bed (under supervision)
• Brush your teeth
• Wash your hands (20 seconds with soap and warm or cold water!)
• Help clean up spills on the table
• Fill your pet’s water bowl (under supervision)
• Dust the table top on the kitchen
• Sweep the kitchen w/dustpan
• Put away your toys (under supervision)
• Help mummy and/or dad prepare lunch
• Help mummy and/or dad prepare dinner

Here’s a good chore chart for Kindergarteners.

• Brush your teeth
• Make your bed
• Get dressed after showering
• Put your laundry in hamper
• Set the table for breakfast/lunch/dinner (under supervision)
• Help mummy and/or dad prepare lunch
• Assist mummy and/or dad prepare dinner
• Clear the table (under supervision)
• Empty the trash cans into garbage
• Help clean up spills on the table
• Give the pet water and food
• Clean your room (under supervision)
• Pick up your toys
• Sweep up crumbs on your table using a dustpan
• Move the laundry from washer to dryer (under supervision)
• Help dad and/or mummy sort out the laundry
• Put away and fold the fresh laundry (smaller clothes such as socks, towels)
• Water the plants (under supervision)
• Wipe down your room’s doorknobs or handles

All of these chores not only help your kid understand the value of work, but also learn basic life-skills.

Where to buy chore charts?

Now, if you are planning to instead, buy a chore chart for your kids, you can check out some options listed below:

1. Dry Erasable Chore Charts

This comes with 34 tasks magnets, 210 colourful stars, and three nameplates. Dry erasable chore chart is extremely flexible and based on kids’ various abilities. This comes in handy when you need to rotate chores among more than one kid in the house.

2. Reward Chore Charts

This can easily be displayed on your refrigerator. Reward Chore Charts is great to reward your kids. Essentially, it reinforced positive affirmation and rewards kids for each task they complete, just as in school. This helps keep them feeling motivated and excited to get on to the next chore.

3. Melissa & Doug Magnetic Responsibility Chart

This chore chart by Melissa and Doug serves as a perfect tool for the holidays. It includes 89 magnets that feature task in form of chores, and good behaviour, reward and goal tracking. Again, a good way to help your kids pick up new life-skills and be rewarded for them.

Remember, chore charts help in inculcating the importance of rules and decision-making. It will also help your child to understand discipline and responsibility. So when you are making a chore chart for kids, remember the aim of the exercise is to make it fun.

If at any point, the kid feels the stress of completing the chore, they will leave it midway. Instead, ask them to come back to it later or show them an alternate easier way.

Republished with permission from theAsianparent Singapore