My kids new chore chart and it totally works!
(Please excuse the holes in the wall- a sledge hammer {because I couldn’t find a regular hammer} may have been involved in the hanging {I’m resourceful. Hee-hee}. I also used 3M Hanging Strips to really secure since my kids would be touching the charts every day.)
I bought the chores on Groop Dealz a few weeks ago. They were priced way cheaper than I could make myself and it was easier for me to click purchase than run all over town gathering {obsessing over} materials. If you are feeling crafty – They are wooden circles (I am sure a local craft store carries these), 1 inch label and a magnet hot glued to the back. The magnet is probably the most expensive part. The lining up the text of the chores to actually print to label template.. well, that is probably the most frustrating part. SO… if you want easy, peasy and want to avoid the hassle and buy them like I did, the seller has an Etsy store -More Than A Memory. There are different sets of chores and different ways they are displayed (one set has dollar value per chore). The magnetic/dry erase boards are from Target ($10 each). There are lots of colors. I chose the copper color because it matched the colors in my kitchen where the chore charts hang.
I estimate that this chore chart cost me $45 each (that includes buying chores, shipping cost, 3M strips, tickets, board).
How this chore chart works: As the kids complete a chore, the chore circle gets moved below the black line. There are blank chores that I add if I see them doing something nice or if they do something twice in a day (brush teeth, clear table, etc). At the end of the day they get 1 ticket (I bought a roll of tickets at the Dollar Store. You can also buy at Party City). The kids can cash in the tickets for special activities. Below is our ticket redemption list:
30 minutes of TV: 5 tickets (max 1 hour per day)
30 minutes of XBOX: 5 tickets (max 1 hour per day)
Ice Cream/FroYo (at home): 10 tickets
Have a Sleepover (bedroom MUST be clean): 10 tickets
Buy an ipad app: 10 tickets
Rent a movie (On Demand): 10 tickets
Someone(Teacher, Neighbor, Friends Parent) says you did a good job/were nice: 10 tickets
Lego Mini Figure: 15 tickets
$5 cash to spend on whatever you want: 20 tickets
Get your nails painted at salon: 25 tickets
Go out for Ice Cream/Froyo: 25 tickets
$10 cash to spend on whatever you want: 40 tickets
Video Game: 200 tickets
American Girl Doll: 500 tickets
Huge LEGO set: 500 tickets
I printed this out and put in a 5×7 acrylic Dollar Store frame and it sits on the kitchen counter for them to see all day.
This is just an example of what type of reward system has really worked for us. I put a value on things that my kids ask for constantly and now they are saving up for special treats, not asking over and over and over for them. I also had them create Toys R Us-Wish Lists so they can see how much real money the toys they want cost. This has especially worked well for my almost six year old. We went to TRU on a rainy day and he walked around for over an hour with the registry clicker and made his list. I had it printed at the store and he keeps it in his room and refers to it almost daily. This has really cut down on the “I wants” from him. He is proud to save his tickets and buy his own things now.
The tickets are stored in glass jars on the kitchen window sill (again.. me being resourceful and just finding something we already had at home). The kids labeled them with scrapbook stickers. This works for them because it is glass and they can see the tickets piling up.
My rule is no-one but my husband and I (or the grown-up in charge) are allowed to touch the ticket jars. We put the tickets in and we take the tickets out when they are cashed in OR.. if the kids are fighting- they lose 5 tickets and the tickets they lost go to the other sibling. They also lose tickets if they don’t listen, tattle or whine.
Update: We are a week into using the chore chart and it is working like a charm. The garbage has been taken out, breakfast dishes are in the dishwasher, the cat has been fed, the dog has been fed and walked and my son is willingly bathing. I win!! They are outside watering the plants now. We don’t have any “plants”. Just weeds. So, um…oh, well. I still win. They are not fighting.
Philaburban Mom 