Homeschooling and Chores

A part of every kids' day should be the chance to learn how to help around the house by taking responsibility and completing chores. In our homeschooling household, we feel strongly our son should work around the house just because he is a part of the family. Heaven knows, he sees me working enough that it should be second nature. But I think it's important to instill the work ethic early so that it will continue on throughout a child's lifetime.

A very experienced homeschooling mom told me when I first started out that I should have my son do any chores I want him to do at the beginning of the day. It was her experience once the homeschooling day was finished, her kids just wanted to run outside and play.

If you're a homeschooling family you know you have to gather and listen to others' advice but ultimately find the way that works best for your children's personalities. My son studies best during the first half of the day.

Money is a huge motivator for him. But I didn't want to hand out money for every little chore. We tried something along those lines but that just made him ask how much he was getting paid for each job I asked him to do. Not ideal.

Following the wise advice of author and financial guru Dave Ramsey, I also didn't want to label the weekly money as an allowance. After all, no one pays me just for breathing and existing.

So, we've created a chore chart that rotates weekly. There's a  Tier One set of jobs that he has to do just because he is part of the family. Tier Two jobs are what he must do to earn his basic weekly "commission." If he doesn't do them, I don't pay him. Simple.

Tier Three jobs get him really excited. Those are the optional jobs that he can choose to do or not to do each week for an extra $1 each. I just require that he complete Tier One and Tier Two jobs for the day first before diving into any optional jobs.

Here's a sample chore chart:

Week of January 3, 2011

Tier I Chores (every day):

     Make Bed in morning

     Pick up and put away all toys at end of day

     Set table for supper

     Feed/water dog and cat at supper time

Tier II Chores:

Monday:            Change kitty litter

                         Dust your bedroom

Tuesday:            Clean your bathroom and bathtub

Wednesday:      Vacuum entertainment room & your bedroom

Thursday:          Dust all downstairs furniture

Friday:               Help with laundry or other chore mom needs

Tier III Chores (optional):

 Wash all doors and doorways downstairs                  ______________________________

 Wash all doors and doorways upstairs                      ______________________________

My son is excited to do his chores now. I post the list on the refrigerator at the beginning of the week, and he gets to check off the job once it's completed. The Tier Three chores also need a signature from me signifying a job well done.

My house is becoming a lot cleaner...and well, I just love that!
TCB