Saturday Morning Chores


Our kids are not able to watch tv, play on tablets, visit friends, etc. until their Saturday morning chores are complete. Supervising chores is never easy. I hear a lot of complaining and whining some Saturday mornings. However, our system got a whole lot easier for all of us once we adopted a new chore routine. Here's what we do.

Sometime on Friday, I type up the kids' lists of chores. Their lists contain different chores each week. Some of my kids' chores include: wiping down baseboards, pulling weeds, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, raking pine needles, dusting furniture or pledging cabinets. My kids usually get five chores each week.

Then, on Saturday morning, my kids know to look for their assignments on the kitchen island. And, usually, they get right to work. They understand from past experiences that they won't have any privileges until their work is complete.


Once their work is complete, they find either my husband or myself. We will then walk through their responsibilities with them and see if they've completed their chores up to standard. This step is where our chore system became easier for all of us. Before, my kids used to ask me constantly, "Mom, what's my next chore?" "Mom, did I clean it right?" "Mom, what do I do now?" I felt like all I did Saturday mornings was follow my children around as their shadow. I personally couldn't get any work done because I was constantly answering their questions or checking their work. Now, I'm free of this! The responsibility is on them. They know what they need to do by reading their lists, they know where the cleaning supplies are and they know that they're not done until everything on their list is complete (and to not get dad or mom until it is done).

If my husband and I feel their jobs were completed well, we will sign the bottom of their chore list. They are now free to play. But, if they need to make some corrections, my husband or I will tell them what needs to be done and will hand their list back to them. The kids know to go back and make the necessary changes before asking us again to check their work. When they're done the second time, we will check their work again before signing them off.

It is such a simple solution, but has made our Saturday mornings a bit less painful!

Comments

  1. I LOVE this idea! I am going to start this ASAP! Such a smart mom!!-Carinn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carinn!!! You made my day reading your comment. It's always good to hear from you! Hope this process helps your darling family! We definitely need to catch up some time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment