diy choreboard (& a few thoughts on kids + tasks)
Chores are a necessity in our family. If the kids didn't help out, I literally would never get to play with them.
Therefore, I love chores.
AND...I love what it's doing for our kids.
They're learning responsibility and tasks they'll need to know for the rest of their lives.
And we're all about preparing our children for the world...not the world for our children. Pause there for a minute and let that saying sink in.
We need to prepare our children for the world...not the world for our children.
When Ben and I heard it a few years ago, it really impacted the way we parented.
Because I love a good diy, and because I'm not willing to spend much, making a chore board ourselves seemed like a great idea.
We found this tin shelving at Ikea awhile back {sadly I can't find it online}, in their clearance area. I think we maybe paid $7 for the entire thing.
Rather than building it so the shelves extend like they're supposed to, Ben screwed them vertically and used the rails as a frame.
I don't love my handwriting all that much, so I found this rub on transfer for the top. I like that it says "To Do" rather than "Chores" because well...because I couldn't find one that said Chores...but also because it reminds them this is their contribution to the family.
It shouldn't be looked at as a chore. We want them to do it with a happy heart.
Using washi tape, I created sides for each child.
I cut the washi tape {the same ones I used for my business cards} in half to signify the separation between the "to do" and "done" areas...and kept the full thickness of the tape to divide between the children.
Finding tags in the dollar area at Target, I glued the silver cardboard letters {also from Target's dollar section} to the tag and used another fun washi tape to adhere it to the tin shelf.
For now, they're loving it. They bound down the stairs in the morning to find what tasks we're asking them to do for the day.
Some are everyday {making their beds, brushing their teeth, putting away their clothes}, and some change. Sometimes Abreham unloads the dishwasher, sometimes it's Ezekiel.
At times we ask Anton to feed our dog Thatcher, sometimes it's Laith, and instead Anton needs to gather all the trash from the bedrooms and take it outside to the big garbage can.
They genuinely love the responsibility. They love that we entrust them with jobs, they say they feel like big-kids and the older boys tell me they're excited to be good husbands someday {yes, they've actually said that}.
Don't be afraid to give them tasks...and remember, the more they help out around the house...the more time you have time to PLAY with them {what a concept}!!!
