Homeschooling 101

Lesson 7: Everything in Its Place: Getting Your House in Order

Chores

Getting your children to participate in the daily upkeep of your house can go a long way toward saving your sanity… and that will go a long way toward making your school experience easier and more fun. The time that mom traditionally spent making the house look like the cleaning fairy came for a visit is now spent schooling the kids. What is a homeschooling mom to do?

Let’s face it… the kids are home all day now, and kids can be messy! In my house, kids are expected to clean up after themselves… not that it always happens, but that is what is expected. If they leave a mess, they are reminded that it is their responsibility to clean it up. If after that it still isn’t done, I stand there with them to make sure it is done. They then have to “pay me” for my time by spending time in their room. (One minute per year of age.) We also made sure that each kid has their own space. Kids are naturally pack rats, and by giving them their own space, it keeps the “treasures” out of the rest of the house.

Not only are chores a necessity, they teach basic life skills and help children build personal responsibility. When it became painfully obvious that I was doing 95% of the household chores, we knew something had to change. There are certain things that must be done in every house. Dishes need washed, bathrooms need cleaned and disinfected, pets need cared for. After trying and trying to figure out a method that would work for us, I came up with a system that has made my life much easier!

I started by deciding exactly what needs to be done daily. Each job is written on a 3x5 index card. On the back of the card, I listed a brief list of directions. (If your kids are not yet readers, use pictures cut from magazines.) On two file folders we had leftover from making lapbooks, I glued one pockets (made from cardstock) per kid. Write each child’s name on a pocket on each folder. Every morning, I decide who gets what chore. I put the cards into their pocket on the “Start” folder. As they complete the jobs, they move the cards to the “Done” folder. Once all cards have been done, I check to make sure the jobs were done correctly. If they have been, they can then use the computer time they have earned, go out to play or whatever they want. If the chores aren’t done, they have a consequence.

Once a week, the kids are given an allowance based on how many of their chores they did. They are paid 25¢ per job, per day. (I don’t pay for making their beds, washing the dishes, and caring for pets. Those are things that must be done daily, whether they like it or not.) They each average four chores a day, each taking no more than 5 minutes.)

We have used this system for over two years, and while at first there was some resistance (“You want me to do what?” and “Why do I I have to do that?”) they have gotten used to the fact that there are things that they are required to do daily… and have grown to love “pay day!”

Here are a few tips:

• Assign age appropriate chores. Only you can decide what your child mentally and physically is capable of.
• Decide on a list of consequences for a job not done.
• Praise a job well done.
• Make sure that your kids know and understand how to do the job you are asking them to do.
• Be specific! “Clean your room” will get you blank stares, and can be open for interpretation. A child can’t argue with “Put your dirty clothes into the hamper, put your toys on the shelf and make your bed.”
• Have a family meeting and explain your new chore plan. Don’t make apologies, or become emotional. Just explain that this is how it is from now on.
• Above all, be firm and consistent. The best plan in the world is only as good as the person implementing it.

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