OK, so this is one of the best ideas we've started with our kids and cleaning the house. It used to be that we would ask them to fold their own laundry and had the older kids doing things like trash and compost, but that's it.
So, I was doing about 90% of the cleaning and I was going crazy! It's not fair that I do it all!?
I saw other ideas on websites, but none were what we were looking for. Then, I saw the idea about ZONES.
We divided the house into 6 zones. Each kid has a zone per week and then they rotate. The hubs and I are on this list too! So, Mom/Dad is 1 zone and then with 4 kids, that's 5 main zones total and one zone where everyone participates.
This works for our home, but you can make the zones whatever you want!
Below I have a word document you can buy for only $5 and then modify it however it works for you, print it off and get going!
Here's a picture of what ours looks like on our fridge.
We decided that each day by 7pm we check the zones. If you did your zone, you get a star. If you have 6 stars by Saturday (we try NOT to worry about cleaning on Sunday), then you earn something big! It could be extra video game time, a super special dessert (like going OUT for ice cream rather than eating it at home), etc. Whatever works for your family is what you should do! As the kids get older, we won't have incentives like that, or it will change to allowance. But, our oldest has a mowing business and he makes about as much as I do at my part time job! I often wonder if I should just start a mowing business!
I also typed up a list of specific requirements for each zone. When they keep saying "have I done my zone, will you check it?", I respond "did you follow the list on the fridge?" We are trying to teach them responsibility and accountability.
For the past couple of months, we got so busy that often there was no time for these kiddos to do anything. They get up early for school, then they're gone until 3:30 or 4:30, then we would have some activity, then dinner, then bedtime. So we got a bit loose with the rules and were still allowing our weekend video games, but we have slowly gotten back into more of a schedule and the kids know they have to do their zones. Yes, they whine about it every day, yes they don't do it the way I would like, BUT they are learning how to take care of each part of the house, and I'm not the only one cleaning anymore!
I hope this helps and gives you some ideas how you can get your family more organized with chores and find a little more JOY in the CHAOS! If you want to purchase a copy of this, let me know!
Happy Organizing.
Janel
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