Summer Chores

Every summer, I try to come up with a good plan that will get the kids consistently doing their chores every day. Having five kids home all day everyday generally equals constant mess! The thought of trying to keep up with everything on my "To Do" list plus keep a clean house is just too overwhelming. (I know, I'm preaching to the choir here!) In the past I have tried charts, reward/responsibility cards, sheer force...you name it! This summer, we (As in Richard, with a little inspiration from me.) came up with a pretty good solution, if I do say so. One that I will be using from now on! (Yes, it worked THAT well.) I would have posted this earlier in the summer, but I wanted to make sure it worked. 


A few key elements:


1. It's simple
2. Easy for the kids to remember
3. Easy for me to remember
4. No chart involved
5. No stickers involved
6. No rewards involved (Sorry, but I think kids need to realize that certain work doesn't give immediate material rewards. I don't get a "treat" every time I scrub the toilet. Well, sometimes I "find" a treat, but not THAT kind of treat... Sorry. I probably should have kept that to myself... Anyway, they need to learn that they can feel happy and satisfied after doing a job well and with a good attitude. And that's just plain good enough!)


Soooo, either you are dying to know what I did, or you got so bored you read a few lines and have gone on to more interesting blogs. I don't blame you if it's the latter. In fact, you can still leave without reading the rest and I totally won't be offended. 


Well, here it goes: 


First, they all understand that before they can eat breakfast they must: get dressed, clean up their rooms, and make their beds. Sometime between breakfast and lunch, they practice. Then, we picked four major household chores for the four oldest kids. (James is still just a little too young for this, but I try to make sure he cleans up after himself everyday. Oh, and he's in charge of putting the empty milk bottles back into the milk box.) Here are the chores we picked: 
Laundry, Dishes, Garbage, Bathrooms


Some are easier and less time-consuming than others, but they all need to be done, and all the kids ought to know how to do each one. So, we rotate. Each child gets one chore for three weeks. Every day. That's it! Simple, huh? This way, I can focus on teaching one child how to do his job well, and after three weeks, they are pros. They know how to load the dishwasher correctly, they can sort clothes and wash a load, and they fold them the best they can. They don't always fold them the way I would, but I don't care. They are DOING IT! And that means I don't have to. Beautiful, isn't it?


At first, my one main concern was how they would react to this new plan. Would they constantly be dragging their feet and complaining? Surprisingly, NO! They have been VERY cooperative, and have, for the most part, had great attitudes. BUT, it's important to note that it doesn't always go totally smoothly every day. Some days they procrastinate. Some days they only partly finish. Some days we are gone and don't do ANY of it. And, it seems every morning at least one kid gets away with eating breakfast in his/her pj's. We aren't perfect by any means. But, it's something. And that's just all we mom's can expect!

And, although our house is still a trick to keep clean, (In fact, I will be completely honest, almost impossible!) this has helped me a TON! Thanks kids! (And Richard, who pretty much always comes up with the best ideas.)

Feel free to share some ideas that worked for you this summer!