Kids' Chore Schedule

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Our Own Personal Chore Schedule

Recently, I have had a few people ask me about the way we do chores at our house. I guess word gets out that my kids do a lot of cleaning! (My dad even whipped out his camera when he stopped by the other day and saw his 12 year old grandson dusting and straightening up the couch pillows!)

I surely don't want anyone to get the wrong impression and think that I've got it all together or that my kids are the perfect examples of well-behaved, overachieving homeschoolers. We've all got our issues. We are not perfect. (My kids are pretty awesome, though.) ;)

I am very systematic about chores, though! Our chore schedule has changed over the years as my kids have grown older, but right now this is pretty much what works for us on a daily basis.

*The key for getting my kids to do chores consistently and getting them to do them without having to constantly be reminded is using a dry erase board. I've written my three kids' names on the board, and each day I write their chores for the day next to their names. As each one completes his/her chore, I (or the child) erase it. Typically my kids do school first then chores. My boys can't play outside with their friends until their chores are done. Since my daughter is finished with school before her brothers, the rule for her is that she can't play X-Box until she's completed her chore for the day.

The following schedule is our "because you live here" chores; my kids do not earn money for these.

12 year old son                          

Monday- vacuum downstairs 
Tuesday- take out trash and recycling (also has to put away)  
Wednesday- dust and straighten living room
Thursday- clean room (includes dusting, straightening, and vacuuming)
Friday- laundry

10 year old son

Monday- dust TV and stand
Tuesday- laundry
Wednesday- vacuum living room rug
Thursday- clean room (includes dusting, straightening, and vacuuming)
Friday- dust TV and stand

6 year old daughter

Monday- empty bathroom trash cans
Tuesday- clean door that opens from garage into the house (it gets gross with all kinds of dirty fingerprints!)
Wednesday- clean outside of fridge
Thursday- clean room (straighten and vacuum)
Friday- clean kitchen trash can

**I have tried to give my daughter chores that are pretty easy--chores that I really don't have to worry about redoing. Cleaning fingerprints off the fridge is something I do daily anyway. :) Her chores will change as she gets older.

***My boys started doing their own laundry about a year ago. The only things I wash are their white t-shirts because I don't want them to shrink. I just throw these in with my delicate lights/whites when I do my laundry.

****Other daily chores that my kids do but are not written down--they are so ingrained, it's like brushing their teeth: they make their beds everyday, and each child takes a turn cleaning the table after meals. My daughter always cleans the table after breakfast, my middle son always cleans it after lunch, and my oldest son always cleans it after dinner.

Because we can now afford to do so, we've given our kids the opportunity to earn money for other chores that are done on the weekend.

12 year old--clean downstairs 1/2 bathroom and clean kitchen (vacuum floor and clean counter tops by moving everything off to do so) 

10 year old--dust computer room and vacuum edges of room with hand held vacuum, and vacuum stairs and clean railing.

6 year old--no set money chores yet, but I do give random jobs for $.50 here and there.  (Helping to fold laundry, sweeping back patio, etc.)
The money chores are pretty much optional, so if they don't do them they don't get paid.  They do need to tell me, though, before the weekend is over if they are not going to do them so I have time to.  The other brother can be given the option to complete them as well.

For now, this is really working for our family and has been for quite some time. :)


So, to sum it up-- Daily chores using a dry erase board works for us!


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