Learn how to create a chore schedule that fosters cooperation and organization in your family. Boost teamwork and household efficiency.
“Clean up, clean up, everyone do their share.” You might have sung this song as a child, but now that you’re a parent, are you having trouble getting everyone to chip in willingly? A chore schedule can help.
All households take work to run. However, who’s responsible for what? When should they complete each task? Here’s how to create a chore schedule that works for you and your family.
Why Create a Chore Schedule?
Think back to a time when you got in trouble — not because you deliberately refused to comply with a reasonable request, but because you simply didn’t know what to do. It didn’t feel very good to take the blame, did it? Your child feels the same way when you express exasperation that they didn’t finish a task they didn’t even know was their responsibility.
Chore schedules eliminate confusion about who will do what and when. When these expectations are reasonable and manageable for everyone involved, it smooths relationships and avoids conflicts. It’s easier to get everyone to participate if they feel their share is fair — which means you should gather your family together and discuss how to divide the labor.
What Should You Add to Your Chore Schedule?
Begin by listing all the things you need to do daily, weekly and less often to keep your household running. This list is a handy guide for you, too, so include decidedly “grown up” chores like deep cleaning the teapot. It also lets your kids see you all have duties. Items might include the following.
1. Daily Chores
- Pick up toys
- Give pets fresh food and water
- Clean up pet waste
- Clear the table
- Ensure all dishes are in the dishwasher
- Wipe down countertops and appliances
- Wipe down bathroom counters
- Hang up clothes
- Organize backpacks
- Make beds
- Clean up spills or other messes
- Take out the trash, recycling and compost
2. Weekly Chores
- Wash, dry and put away clothes
- Wash bedsheets
- Wash and replace towels
- Scrub the toilet, sink and bathtub
- Wipe down kitchen countertops, appliances and cabinets
- Clean out the refrigerator
- Mop or vacuum floors
- Larger pet chores, like cleaning the litter box, aquarium or enclosure
3. Monthly Chores
- Wash all bedding, including comforters and pillows
- Wipe down light fixtures and ceiling fans
- Wipe down light switches and door handles
- Clean the inside of appliances, including the washer, dryer, dishwasher, and coffee or teapot
- Wipe baseboards and moldings
- Clean windows
How to Determine If a Chore Is Age-Appropriate
Deciding if a chore is age-appropriate requires knowing your little one. Children as young as 2 or 3 can manage simple tasks like putting away their toys or stacking books and magazines. Setting up these tasks in a positive tone — as something everyone does with a smile — establishes the attitude that pitching in is fun.
As your kids age, continue helping them manage their feelings to keep tasks fun and positive instead of chore-like. For example, they reach new developmental milestones around age 4 or 5, making it the perfect time to introduce music to make chores more fun. Go beyond the “clean up” song — crank some tunes and maybe even end your weekly cleaning with a dance-off.
How to Lay Out Your Chore Schedule
There are several ways to lay out your chore schedule. Many people do so in quadrants, with daily, weekly, monthly, and occasional or seasonal chores listed in four separate boxes.
While your children remain young, stick to assigning simple daily chores, like filling the pet bowls and clearing the table. Let them graduate their way up the chart and mark it as a milestone. The first time your toddler makes the bed by themselves should be a big deal — let them know how proud you are of their accomplishments.
Where to Display Your Chore Schedule
Many families use their refrigerators to display their chore schedules. You can buy premade templates for this that come with erasable pens, allowing family members to add a checkmark indicating when they have completed their assigned tasks.
You could also take a combination approach. Hang a master chore chart on your refrigerator and print out personalized copies of each family member’s assignments. Laminate them so you can use dry-erase markers and hang your little ones’ on the back of their bedroom doors. They can build their organizational skills by checking to ensure they’ve finished their to-do list by day’s end.
Should You Reward Your Kids for Completing Chores?
Praising your child for doing their chores creates a sense of accomplishment, so cheer their efforts and remember — your kids are learning. Shaming them for not doing as good of a job as you only increases resentment around chores and harms their self-esteem. Your little one may feel like they can’t do anything right if they get “in trouble” even when they try.
What If Your Little One Balks at Chores?
An allowance is a great tool for encouraging kids to do chores. If they understand the expectation that they complete their assigned tasks to receive their reward, losing out on that cash becomes a logical consequence. It also acknowledges your child’s reality similarly to your paycheck as an adult — it makes the work worth it.
Making a Functional Family Chore Schedule
A chore schedule smooths relationships and keeps your household running without tears. Follow these tips to create one with your family, and get on the path to a cleaner home and stronger family bonds.
Cora’s passion is to inspire others to live a happy, healthful, and mindful life through her words on Revivalist – wholeheartedly convincing them that everyday moments are worth celebrating. Cora has spent 5+ years writing for numerous lifestyle sites – hence her sincere love for both life and the beauty of style in all things. Keep up with Cora on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
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