Family Chore Chart

Hey there, it’s Katie. My kids have been back to school for a few weeks now and I am loving the peace and quiet each day 😉 But I do miss them and am excited to hear about their days when they get home.

Now that we are back in school I had to re-do our family chore chart. During the summer the kids had at least 2-3 chores a day. I think it’s a good life skill for kids to learn how to work and know what it takes to help keep our home clean. But now that they are at school all day they don’t have very much time to do as many chores. And honestly with them at school all day there isn’t as much work that needs to be done!

I like having a set routine. Each day they have a different chore but Monday’s chores are always Monday’s chores. This makes it easier to remember who did what (or who was supposed to do what) and still have some variety.

One of the most important parts of teaching my kids how to work for me is to work beside them. So if they are supposed to dishes but dinner left a giant mess, I don’t have a problem with giving them a helping hand. Or if they were supposed to clean the bathroom I do a check and let them know what important parts they need to clean up. With my kids it’s a lot about the “WHY” they are doing things. It takes some patience and explaining but they are usually much more willing to accomplish their chores if they know that they are making a difference and it matters.

Here’s a picture of our family’s chore chart. It hangs in a central spot right next to the kitchen so it’s impossible to miss. We took a plain white board and used tape to make the chart. I use a white board marker so it’s easy to erase or update things.

The kids have chores they need to do everyday including picking up their room, homework, and S&P which stand for scriptures and prayers. Now my kids are not perfect at this. But having the chart definitely helps them know what they are responsible for and they know that we have expectations for them. So for the most part they complete the chores.

If you’re looking at mine or my husband’s you might think, “That’s all they do?!” Nope. We of course have more chores but I wanted this to be family centered so the kids know we are all in this together. So I listed some of the chores we do as well.

The far column on the right is sometimes used to list a reward if all the chores are done during the week. We’ve used swimming with cousins, donuts on Saturday morning, and as a reward in the past. Right now it’s more of a schedule reminder.

This has really helped me and our family be good about getting chores around the house done. We have more peace and feel more comfortable when our home has some order to it. Our home becomes a place of refuge from the chaos of the world and my kids always seem more content with it that way.

What are your family’s chore routines like? Do you do a chart or have you found a different solution that works better for your family? Share them in the comments!

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