Oh my goodness! Most people in my house think this is a four letter word. Believe me when I say, we have tried it all. We've had lists, charts, rewards, punishments, you name it we've tried it. Currently we are on the best system to date :)
Each child has a different area of the house that is their responsibility. They are to keep that area clean and picked up - the area is to have a final pick up just before bed. Ex. - Kitchen - they load and unload dishwasher, they keep counters clean, they sweep frequently, and mop when needed. Another area is trash - that child is to keep up with all cans in the house and recycle, they keep track of trash days and make sure cans go to and from the curb. And the list goes on . . . Each child has two areas. I take care of anything left. If job is not done, then consequences are added to the area - Ex - if trash is not done, they one may have to scrub out cans with soap and water. If kitchen is not clean, then fronts of cabinets may be washed down. We rotate jobs every quarter. We have used this system for about a year and 1/2 now. We really like how it works. The jobs are expectations of being apart of the family. They are not paid for this work. This is their contribution to our household.
So I would love to know what works at your house?
Please tell me. . .
Great ideas, Rachel! Love the idea of the natural consequences, too. Will definitely have to start implementing those!
ReplyDeleteSince mine are a little younger than yours, they're still just in charge of their own rooms. They help out with other things as they're asked, but nothing formal yet. Will definitely keep this idea in mind for the near future, though! :)
I think I might have to try the quarterly switch off, tried switching monthly and they just got confused as to what they had to do. They like the check list so they can mark things off as they go. Good food for thought Rachel! Thank you.
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