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Teach your kids responsibility with this easy to use Summer Chore Chart. This free printable clearly lays out different tasks your kids can accomplish!
Summer is finally here for us! We've been traveling this year so things got a little backed up, but we're officially done with school! Ever since we moved into The Cherished House we've been in a constant state of construction. I used to have the kids on a pretty tight schedule when it came to chores, but we've been seriously slacking. Some changes have been made this year and with school being over I made a new Summer Chore Chart for us.
Teaching Kids Responsibility Through Chores
Chores can be so many things for kids, it doesn't just have to be vacuuming and doing the dishes! (although those are pretty popular ones with moms) I like to think of my kids chore charts as training them for life. It's about teaching responsibility. Something I've noticed since we've gotten unorganized in our daily lives is that I just give my kids random jobs. They need to feel the purpose behind it or they really aren't learning. We're a family and we're a team. I want them to know that we help each other out because that's the right thing to do.
You can see our chore chart is pretty basic and I have a blank spot for versatility. This was a very intentional decision. My kids are getting older so I want them to be more responsible. I find it very difficult for them to remember and accomplish tasks when everything is changing daily or weekly. BUT I do want them to learn how to remember things that they don't want to do. So here I am desperately seeking the balance in life we all crave using both consistent and inconsistent tasks.
Each kid has two responsibilities morning, afternoon, and night and these will stay the same no matter what. Then I left a blank spot that will ideally teach them to be responsible, check their list, and accomplish the task at hand. I'll use this space to fill things I need done around the house - like taking out recycling, cleaning the bathroom, etc.
Simple Chore Chart Ideas
I wanted this whole summer chore chart thing to be easy, so I printed off one sheet, framed it with a frame from the dollar store and hung it in our pantry. Then I use dry erase markers to fill in the blanks. My kids fought me because they wanted it in their room. I personally think it's better to have all the charts in an area where there is accountability. I also don't want to walk upstairs every time I need to check their chart or change their daily chores.
Electronic Time for Kids
I may or may not catch some flack for this, but we've completely taken away all gaming electronics and severely limited TV as well. We've done electronics all kids of ways. We've allowed quite a bit of usage, we've taken everything away and not allowed a single screen in front of our kids, we've made them earn it (which is honestly still the case), we've used reward charts. I mean we've tried every parenting technique out there! At the end of the day in a world where social media seems to drive everything we don't want our kids growing up in front of a screen. This is a personal decision. I'm by no means telling you that if you let your kids play video games you are a bad person! You do you!
I have a son who struggles very much with ADHD and when he is in front of a screen it magnifies his symptoms to an extreme. Again... looking for that balance. I enjoy a good TV show, and I don't necessarily want to deprive my kids of all modern conveniences, so I feel like we've found a pretty good middle ground. They can watch maybe two episodes of a tv show, or perhaps a family movie night after all their responsibilities have been taken care of and assuming their attitudes have been on point all day. Screen time is never a guarantee in our house though!
Teaching Kids Balance in Life
I won't lie, sometimes I give and let them watch more TV if I'm extremely busy and it doesn't seem to be affecting their mood, but I much prefer them to be playing outdoors! Which brings me to my next point. We don't allow any high energy TV shows. I prefer to old school shows like Rocky & Bullwinkle, and my kids have recently gotten in to Full House (which is totally all about conflict resolution - I welcome this, haha). We don't let them watch anything that seems to cause stress or anxiety because we all struggle with that and don't need any help in that area! ; )
Grab the Free Download
** For Personal Use Only **
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