'Child Training' post Update

In case you all are wondering how our first week of chore charts went, I wanted to give a little update.

First of all, I just have to say that, while there were days they might not have completed all the 'required' chores, they did most of them, and their help last week made my job of housekeeping so much easier and more enjoyable! :)

I am extremely proud of them to say the least! Their reward for this week was a dollar menu meal from McDonald's Sunday evening and a Family Movie Night of popcorn and "Dolphin Tale" (which was a very good movie, by the way). We had a wonderful time together as a family!! I LOVE memories like that...

In case you have been thinking about creating a chore chart for your own children but aren't quite sure how to go about getting started, I will share a little bit about what I did. I highly recommend you choose chores and a structure that suits your family's needs and schedule. I just thought, if needed, you might be able to glean a jumping off point by seeing a visual of mine. Feel free to take what you need and disreguard what you don't. :)

I separated out their chores into two categories: those required daily, and some optional ones, from which they had to choose four to do in addition to the required ones (giving them a total of twelve chores to complete daily).

The required chores are: Make Bed, Brush Teeth, Get Dressed, Brush Hair, Bible Reading & Prayer, Pick Up Toys, Put Dirty Clothes in Laundry, Organize Shoes (We take our shoes off at the back door, and by the end of the day it looks like a shoe factory if they don't get organized!)

The other chores to choose from are: School w/o Whining (We don't have school everyday or else it would be required daily), Unload Dishwasher, Load Dishwasher, Clean Bedroom, Clean Bathroom Sink & Toilet, Empty Bathroom Trash, Set Table, Sweep Under Dining Table, Fold Laundry & Put Away, Clean Up After a Meal

They seem to really enjoy having chores and getting to put stickers on their individual charts. This week their goal is to beat the number of stickers they earned last week! I really enjoy having help with housekeeping so I can devote more time to staying organized on school assignments and spending time in the Word. The house stayed WAY more organized and neat this week, and I think the children had a sense of satisfaction that they contributed to it looking so nice! :)

*Please know that I have not created these chore charts as a way to neglect my duties to housekeeping. I do not just 'supervise' their work while I sit in the overstuffed chair eating ice cream and reading the latest suspense novel, lol. I work alongside them... and there is ALWAYS plenty to do! :)