Weekly Chore Chart

This month I have talked about routine and schedule so now I just wanted to post about weekly chore charts/schedules. Now this is an example of what my weekly schedule can look like:

Daily: Clean kitchen, go through mail, pack lunches

Monday: Free night

Tuesday: Dust and clean windows

Wednesday: Vacuum and mop

Thursday: Clean bathrooms and laundry

Friday: Plan out menu, make grocery list, create pickup / delivery orders

Saturday: Grocery shop / pick up, yard work

Sunday: Mass, Meal prep, family meeting to go over the upcoming week and schedule, laundry

Making a plan like this works well for my family. My family and I like to do a chore or two each day that will take us anywhere 15-30 minutes each day so we aren’t stuck with a long chore list for all day Saturday or Sunday! Once we get into the habit of doing this, we get the chores done quicker and more efficiently. Having one or two chores a day keeps my house cleaner and more organized throughout the week so we can relax more daily and especially on the weekends!

Now, each week, my husband and I look at the calendar and rearrange as needed. We may do more chores one night and less the next night but overall we try to stick to the schedule we planned out Sunday.

We also involve our children in this process! We give them chores and responsibilities throughout the week and they love it! Plus it’s a win for me because they are doing something I would have to already do!

So, giving your children chores-

the chore needs to be age appropriate and attainable for your child. For example—

my four year old can do the following:

-load the dish washer

-set the table

-help cook by pour ingredients into the pot

-dust with the swiffer duster

-wipe down windows

-pick up toys

Giving chores empowers your children, improves self esteem, and teaches responsibility!

How do you get your children to actually do this? Well make it fun! Sing the clean up song or set a timer and see if they can wipe down all the furtuine in the living room in 1 minute! Don’t put too much pressure on them - again make the chore attainable for them. Also, it may take some time to teach them how to do the chores accurately but once you put in the time to teach your children it will pay off in the long run!

Now, doing a daily chore list like this may not work at all for you and your family and that’s okay! You can also modify it to meet your needs - maybe only doing one or two nights of chores or chores every other week. I know some of you have much busier schedules with more extracurricular activities, work meetings, and going out of town for work trips, etc. and you may be in a different season of life than me. The important takeaway is that you talk it out with your family and figure out the priorities you have as a family. Communication is KEY! Once you set your top three or four priorities you go from there.

Another book recommendation:

Parenting with Love and Logic

This book has a lot of awesome things in it but while I was writing this post this book kept coming to mind mostly because it is about empowering the child and giving your child choices and responsibilities.