cleaning: get your kids involved

The best thing you can do with kids and chores—really kids and anything—is keep it consistent, and keep it simple. Today we’ll be talking about age appropriate chores and making a schedule or chart.

The system I’ve found to work around our house is several daily chores, and a couple weekly chores for the ones that take a bit more time. Of course you have to decide what kind of schedule and routine works best for your family and lifestyle. Maybe you are gone a lot for activities during the week, and so daily chores don’t really make sense for your family. Make it a weekend thing instead! Maybe you homeschool your kids and you have messes that need cleaned throughout the day. Maybe you need a more detailed schedule. Only you know what works best for your household. I simply just want to encourage you to get some sort of routine in place so that your kids know what is expected of them each day. Clear expectations will help them flourish in their role as a member of your household.

““...assign jobs your kids can take pride in doing well, and that play to their abilities and interests.””

I made a simple list for each of my kids on a big chalkboard. That way, the duties are clear on who does what and how often. Some days chores will be met with grumbling. And you have to remember to stay consistent! I always remind my kids that we all live here, and we all have to pitch in to keep the house running. Mommy really doesn’t enjoy doing laundry everyday, and yet, she still has to.

If your kids are too young to do most chores, you can assign them to help you with some. For my youngest his favorite chore is ‘help mommy in the garden’. He takes great pride in harvesting veggies and picking flowers, but he needs a bit of supervision so he doesn’t take veggie greens out by their roots. So of course, use your discretion. But assign jobs your kids can take pride in doing well, and that play to their abilities and interests. If you are feeling stuck on what chores are good for your child’s age, check out this list here.

My chore chalkboard is in our mudroom, which we walk by all the time. I wanted to make it look nice, so I decided to get a set. The linen bulletin board is functionally the same as a cork bulletin board, but looks a little nicer for a focal point. The chalk board and linen bulletin board duo I purchased on amazon, as well as my favorite chalk markers (way less mess than regular chalk!). Click on the images below to link to them.

I love this duo, not only do they bring functionality— they bring beauty to the space! Chore charts shouldn’t be blah—the chores are blah enough already! Make them beautiful, and get your kids involved. If you’ve never assigned chores to your kids, I think you’ll be amazed at what they are capable of. If you try out this chalkboard idea, or if you come up with another, share! I’d love to hear about it!