1. We have a job chart on the refrigerator.... It consists of 4 rotating jobs... The kitchen, the living room, the basement and a ? or clue as Olivia calls it. They each day just have to straighten up these rooms, and their own rooms before they can play etc.... The ? is whatever I decide for the day needs to be done. 3 out of my 4 children I have to bug to do their jobs each day... one (hhhmmOliviahhhmmm) does theirs almost every day without being asked (probably because she is the one who really wants to go play).
This obviously does not keep the house clean (as shown in above picture) and to be honest a few weeks during my really busy season it gets pretty dirty!! So when it needs a good cleaning I write down every job that needs to be done. Wash the bar stools for example would be on one little piece of paper, clean the mirror in the yellow bathroom is another... I get that specific, sometimes I even have them help me figure out exactly which jobs need to be done. Then we count out how many jobs their are and the kids draw out of a bowl or cup you get the picture. Then they have a certain amount of time when the time is up however many of your jobs are done you get to draw for money or prizes.... I used to just put $1 bills and up and they got to take their chance for high or low bills I offer them a set price but they like the gamble of maybe getting a lot more. Last weekend, I didn't have any money (under our new lovely circumstances) so I had to get creative and they actually liked it better. I have some tickets I wrote on the back of them.... some said just "thanks" some said "free sleepover", or "no job day", some said "ice cream" etc you get the idea. All 4 of them got their work done in time for this drawing.....
Sometimes you have to give a little help when its your 4 year old and your chair getting wiped off is still this wet...
How cute is he though vacuuming the hall way...This is hopefully the first of 20 posts in 20 days, I have a huge back up of pictures and things I need to catch up on........
4 comments:
i definately think kids should help out, they live there too! Annie loves to help, I just hope it lasts long enough that she can actually do it on her own! and really what teenager don't you have to ask to do something like 50 times?
That's awesome! I really like your ideas. I'll have to try them here since I haven't figured out how to get my kids to pitch in without some big ole controversy. It's funny you posted about this now because I just had a convo with Olivia about whether she keeps her room clean. She said she usually does. What a good girl she is!
Thank you so much for sharing this!!! You know this is a constant battle in my house...DAILY. Such fantastic ideas! You're such a wonderful, creative mommy! :-) I love the pic of Canyon vacuuming too (and Owen lurching in the background)...so cute!
Haha. I love Owen in the background too. I don't know why it stikes me as so funny. I love how your kids help out. I'm glad that you have older kids because I learn so much form what you do. We are trying to train our girls. I have to remember that it is important for them to help because sometimes more gets done when they just go play and I clean. Maybe I need a jar with fun things to choose from? I'd take icecream or a sleepover.
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