Chore Charts for Kids

Being a good parent is not always easy. You need to strike a balance between indulging your child and teaching them their responsibilities. One of the most valuable lessons that you can teach your child is to learn how to do simple things for themselves and learn the dignity of labor. Most kids aging from 5 onwards, can do some simple chores around the house. Give them chores that are appropriate for their age and supervise what they have done. Many kids and teenagers simply abhor any house work and think that they should be waited hand and foot. So you need to be have a heart to heart talk with them and explain that each member of the family is expected to help around the house.

Chore Chart Ideas

Having some simple blank chore charts will help you to assign tasks to your children and you can keep a track of things that they have done. Do not get into the trap of giving things to your children like sugary treats and candies if they do their chores. This will send the wrong signals to your kids and they will equate doing chores with getting rewarded. This bribing tactics will make them think that doing chores around the house is not their responsibility and they will expect a reward for every job they do. You can however take them out for a special dinner or order something special if they do their chores well.

Assign chores that are appropriate for their age in the chore charts. Making their own beds, placing their dirty clothes in the laundry bag, setting the dinner table, organizing their wardrobe etc. Define all chores properly and tell them what level of quality you expect. Expect some mistakes at first, but gradually you will see improvement. Younger kids can help in putting away their toys, folding small cloth items, filling water bottles and filling the water bowl of pets. Slightly older kids can help in yard work, drying the washed dishes, taking the dog out for walk and putting away groceries in the refrigerator. Teenagers can help by doing yard work, any home improvement projects and by helping in preparing dinner. You can even prepare a house cleaning schedule template to clean the house. Given below are two sample kids' chore charts.

Sample Chore Chart #1

Chores	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday

Sample Chore Chart #2

Chores	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Make the bed
Take out the garbage
Put clothes in laundry
Load the dishwasher
Organize the wardrobe
Set dinner table
Fold the laundry

If you teach your kids to do chores around the house from a younger age, they will not be reluctant to do household chores as teenagers. Certain chores like keeping their room clean, clearing away the dinner table and looking after pets can be done even without adult supervision. If you want to download kids' chore charts, there are many websites that will let you download printable chore charts for free. These charts can be customized according to the individual needs of your household. A weekly chart or even a monthly chart will help you to keep track of chores that needs to be done and help in instilling values in children. A household where every person helps in doing things around the house is a happier household.