Chart your Child's Accomplishments with a CHORE CHART

Photo  by EvelynGiggles 

It can be very frustrating to ask your child over and over again to complete their chores without them ever getting done.  Sometimes it's the result of a child not knowing how to organize and prioritize their time.  Help your child develop these important skills by implementing a chore chart.

Chores might include taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, cleaning their room, yard work or putting laundry in the laundry room. After your child completes each chore, they can put a check mark on the chore chart. At the end of each week, it's very inspiring for both parent and child to look at the chore chart and easily see that each designated job was completed.  Just like our to-do lists, your child will find great satisfaction in being able to check off each chore as it's completed and take pride knowing they accomplished a set task or list of tasks.  Once the child is more adept at completing each task and learns to recognize which ones should be completed first, additional ones can be added to the list.

Once you've sat down with your child and discussed and designed a chore chart, it's time to discuss the rewards for accomplishing each task listed.  Perhaps at your home, you decide you will give a set sum for each task accomplished.  If you should decide to grant your child some sort of monetary allowance, make sure it's age-appropriate and granted on a regular basis. 

A good rule of thumb is 50 cents per year of age.  However, be firm about the allowance being an all or nothing reward.  No allowance is given if the items on the list are only partially completed or if they haven't been completed in a quality fashion.  Teach your child early to strive to do it right the first time, and learn to save time in the process.

By helping your child to develop a sense of organization early on, you'll equip them with an important skill that will help them succeed later in life.

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