A while back we decided that we needed to come up with a routine in the mornings to help get our kids ready for the day while mommy was going to be getting baby Jesse ready and fed. This what we came up with:
Morning Jobs:
They did take some training with each of these morning jobs, but they can successfully do these independently now, WITH CHECK IN’s. I ask the kids to check in with me on things like brushing their teeth and brushing their hair, since they are close to mastery but not there yet. We also have a sheet for bed time as well. BUT, as we all know we are changing and adjusting as parents, and just yesterday I was looking through other ideas for daily jobs and I saw the coolest phrase “Daily COMMITMENTS.” They had different categories of commitments, like commitment to myself (self care), commitment to family (daily chore), commitment to school (school prep/homework). I might have to change my wording haha I was really impressed with the word commitment!
In addition to Morning Jobs we also have Daily Responsibility (Chores). Madeline has 3 a day and Noah has 2 a day. These range from feeding the dogs, help emptying the dishwasher, taking out the garbage, wiping down the table/chairs and more. These are to be done after breakfast before school time. These daily responsibilities are on sheets of paper that change the job each day.
Here is an example:
Madeline just turned 4 and Noah is 2, it took me a while to come up with jobs that these age ranges could do, however honestly: I under-estimated my kids, they are so capable and WANT to be helpful! I have learned I need to capitalize on this time and let them do their full potential instead of cutting their abilities short.
There has definitely been a theme to everything we do lately in our house, and that theme is HOW TO HELP MOMMY’S SANITY hehehe. I am happy though as we add some structure to help me feel sane it also helps the kids learn and take more responsibility at home.
We wanted to encourage and reward our kids behavior so we came up with a “stick system.” Each time our kiddo does a job (morning or responsibility) we give them a stick (see picture below). In order to get a stick they have to have completed their job without complaining and fully. They can also be given extra sticks if I see “helpful hearts” during the day. They can loose sticks, by not completing a job or doing it without a “happy heart.” SOOOOOO what do they get with their sticks???? Every Sunday we count up their sticks and we get to do a family activity together IF they have earned the amount we set. Currently, we all earn the activity so far however, if and when we don’t then that member of the family won’t be able to participate.
Family activities we have done so far (we just started this 2 months ago) are:
- Making donuts
- Going out for ice cream
- Picking out NEW toothbrushes (I know silly but my kids loved it)
- Picking one item from the Dollar Tree
- Staying up late and going to the park with friends
- Eating homemade yogurt popsicles
- and more!
What are some of the chores/responsibilities that you have your young kids do or do you remember doing as a child?
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