A couple of months ago I decided to try implementing daily “chores” for my toddler daughter to accomplish. At the end of the week, if she had done all her “chores” she got to pick a prize from the Reward Box. I knew that for this to work, she would need a visual, and probably a tactile, chore chart to help keep her (and me!) on track. I searched high and low for something that would work for us but, as is usual, I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted so I created my own!
When her brother gets big enough, I have a chart made for him, too. He’s already got a frame space on the wall ready and waiting for him!
I ordered my chart in a 16X20 poster from Zazzle.com and popped them in a colorful frame. Then I took some cute wooden stars and flowers that I found at Michaels, stuck some sticky velcro squares on the back, stuck the other half of the velcro squares on the chart and hung the chart on the wall in the playroom, right at toddler height. Using a dry erase marker I wrote down several “chores” that I thought she and I could accomplish on a daily basis. As she gets older, the chores will become more like real chores, but for now I’m just trying to teach her responsibility and that rewards only come from completing her jobs.
(Please excuse my crappy cell phone pictures).
When it comes to creating chores for little kids, I looked at articles that discussed age-appropriate chore suggestions, like this one, and picked out the ones I thought were most appropriate for Aislin and our lifestyle. I also limited the number of chores I expected from her because, let’s be real, she’s not even three. I can only expect so much.
She loves her chore chart and gets excited to add “stickers” (the flowers and stars) to the chart every day. I have to admit, we’ve slacked a little this summer, but we will be re-introducing it more consistently as the school year starts and we’re all back into the swing of a normal schedule.
And because I’m nothing if not generous (and humble about it…ha!), I want to give you my fabulous chore charts for your very own! Just sign up below and get access to all my free resources. Woo hoo!
What are some ways you teach your kiddos responsibility from an early age? I’d love to hear your suggestions!
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