Kids and Family
Advice from Fellow Parents on Getting Kids to do Chores:
Find Rewards that Work
"Give them an allowance!"
"Remind them once, then dock their allowance."
"They like to spend time with their friends... they cannot leave the house or have anyone over until their chores are done."
"I take the router to work - if they don't do chores they can't get on the Internet or use Xbox."
"I will pay allowance if you do them on time, but if not done on time, you will still do them but for free."
"My daughter just got her driver's license, so if she wants the opportunity to use the car she needs to show responsibility and work for it."
Make it a Fun Family Affair
"Everyone pitches in so they see that everyone participates in the work that needs to be done, even if they are working on different jobs."
"When they were little, we'd make up songs about the activity we were doing. We'd also "race" to see who could get done first. The best thing I did was having them help with each other's chores, which they still choose to do."
Schedules and Organization Help (Get Cozi to help!)
"We just have a schedule. Before dinner, we set the table; before bed, we clean up one room, etc. It's just what we do. When it's part of the routine, there usually isn't any arguing. And we help out so the kids see us working too and don' think we're just 'being mean' by asking them to clean up."
"They have a chore checklist"
"Rotate who does which chores each week."
"Start early so they're eager to help at first, and then it becomes what they are familiar with and expect."
And from the "Maybe We're Over-thinking This" File
"We don't give them an option to not do them."