Responsibilities for the Girls

We have been having trouble lately with the kids sort of slacking on their chores. Truth be told, we have been slacking on the enforcing of responsibilities. We just have so much fun playing and going on adventures that we got lazy. All of us. I tried going back to the way it was before the slacking, but that was a hard sell. To all of us. I decided I needed to shake things up a bit so I devised a plan. I went to Target and bought each girl a 16" by 16" colorful, magnetic, dry erase board. Then I went to the craft store and bought cardboard scrap booking decorations from the dollar bin and some magnets. I attached the magnets to the decorations to make pretty magnets. I then broke down the day into three parts; before school, after school, and after dinner. Each girl has different things to do listed in each part of her day. For Maya and Allie who don't read yet, there are pictures to describe the chores mixed in with the words. After each chore is completed, they get to use a dry erase marker and check off the chore for the day. This is something they love to do, so it works well. It looks like a lot of things, but they are things like, put your lunch box in your backpack and carry your backpack to the car. At the end of the day if everything is checked off, they earn a magnet. After they earn 10 magnets, they get to have special time doing the activity of their choice with the grown up of their choice. Nana is the chosen one so far. This method has worked so well, I wish I had thought of it sooner. It really helps with the cleaning of the playroom, too. I gave each girl a few specific jobs in there, so now once her specific job is done, even if the room is still messy because the others have not done their jobs, that girl can walk away and know she has done her part. Lilly is a lot happier, too because she doesn't end up doing the whole thing anymore when her sisters are slacking. All I have to say to them is, "your job is ________ " and they get right to it. I wish I had thought of it sooner.