Our Current Chore Method

For some reason, our chore method isn’t working very well. Some of us are finding it difficult to “remember” to do our chores each day. Our method includes sheets on both the refrigerator and the kids’ bathroom door that show what chores the kids are expected to do each day. For a while we would keep track of the chores each of us did on Chore Wars, a really fun chore tracking website that gives points for chores. I was able to input the chores we do into the system and assign a point value for each chore. We were awarding the highest point earner of each week the privilege of choosing the dessert for Saturday. For some reason, dessert was not enough incentive to get the daily chores done. The current chore list is as follows:

The Miller’s Chore Chart

Morning
(completed by 8:30am)
get dressed
make bed
brush teeth
brush hair
feed and water dog

Afternoon
(completed by 3:30pm)
Everyday – walk dog
Monday – shake rugs
Tuesday – empty wastebaskets
Wednesday – put trashcan/recycle can away
Thursday – dust TV/bookshelves
Friday – help clean one bathroom
Saturday – help sort laundry
Sunday – wash windows/wipe doors

Evening
(completed by 6:30pm)
set table
help load dishwasher
wipe off table
help clear table
put out napkins
put recycles out

Nighttime
(completed by 8:00pm)
shower/bath
put jammies on
brush teeth
put clothes in hamper
lay out clothes

In A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion (which I will write more about in the near future), Diann Jeppson addresses family work. Neither a stay-at-home nor a working parent can do all of the work that is necessary to keep a household running on his or her own. Each family member must do his or her fair share. Mrs. Jeppson talks about a very visual chore “charting” method. I’m hoping that by employing this new method, my family will see that there are still chores to do and there will be less trouble with “forgetting” to do chores.

Check back soon for my version of Diann Jeppson’s family work system.