Hi!
Raise your hand if you watched the SuperBowl yesterday.
Raise your hand if you didn't care so much about the game itself but enjoyed watching the SuperBowl commercials yesterday.
Raise your hand if you sat in the room with your husband and father-in-law during the SuperBowl yesterday and pretended to care but, instead of the game, you watched the clock because you were anxious to use the TV to finish up Season 2 of Downton Abbey on dvd.
My hand is raised for one of those. I'll never tell which one. :)
Switching gears: As parents, Paul and I feel it's important to teach our kids about hard work and also about how to handle money. It seems like we've tried ev.ery.thing. to organize a chore/allowance method but, unfortunately for our household, couldn't find any chore chart ideas that worked for more than a week for one reason or another.
Our older kids (now ages 8, 6, and 4) have recently set big goals about things they want to save up for and buy. So Paul and I knew we had to get serious about figuring out a successful chores chart and allowance system. We also knew it couldn't be a fancy, complicated deal or we wouldn't stick with it.
So I created a super-easy, customizable clear vinyl modifiable weekly chore chart for our three oldest children. It features "pockets" where chores/responsibilities can be added, removed, and swapped out as needed. We've had it up and running for a little while now, and I must say, it's working. For all of us. We're so pleased.
If you're interested in doing something similar at your house, here's how I made it (with an explanation of how we use it):
Decide how big you want your chore chart to be. Ours needed three columns (for each "working" child) and about 10 rows under the names. Cut two pieces of clear vinyl to this size. (I got 2/3 of a yard of vinyl at JoAnn's for mine and have extra.)
Take one of these vinyl pieces and cut it into horizontal strips about 1-1.5 inches high (or whatever size you want, really). These will be your "pocket" rows.
The other piece of vinyl, which you've left intact, will be the back of your chart.
Take one of your vinyl strips and sew just the bottom edge to the bottom edge of your larger vinyl piece. (I used a large zigzag stitch with a small stitch size.) Lay a second vinyl strip above that and sew just the bottom edge of the second strip to the larger piece. Make sure you leave enough space between rows that you don't accidentally sew the top of one row closed as you're attaching the bottom of another.
(I apologize for the photos...clear vinyl isn't the easiest to photograph.)
Finish attaching the bottoms of all the strips to the larger vinyl piece. (Because of the slight spacing between rows, you might end an extra/unused strip.) Then sew up the two sides of the thing overall. You should have something that looks like this:
Next, you'll want to create your columns. Because mine is for three kids, I sewed mine into thirds. You can measure, but I kind of eyeballed mine. In fact, I eyeballed this whole project. Doesn't have to be exact!
You should end up with something like this, where each rectangular "pocket" opens up at the top:
A lovely pocketed organizer to fill with whatever your heart desires. We desire slave labor around here. :)
Ours includes (from top to bottom):
- Child's name (in white)
- Kitchen duty day (in blue)
- Everyday chores (in orange)
- 5 money-earning chores (in green)
- Bonus chores for extra money
- and some slots for extra chore cards, blank chore cards, and seasonal chore cards. As kids get older, these rows may be used for additional chores.
These chore slips will be swapped out each Saturday, after chores are completed and earnings are noted. Payday will be once a month (because I rarely keep the right cash on-hand).
So, it's nothing fancy, but it works for us. And, bonus, it helps our house get clean...ish.
I'm interested, though. What method(s) have worked for you for teaching your kids about jobs and money?
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