Making Things {Kids} Work

As I shared, things haven't been working real well in our home recently... functionally. Thankfully, with the new year came increased motivation to find solutions. Here are some of our changes and new things!

Daily

We lightened the daily chores to personal care, picking up and tidying the areas used most, laundry and care of animals. Circled days indicate showers and dot is laundry day.

After each meal clean up is done the following way...

Breakfast - Boys Kitchen, Girls Dining Room

Lunch - Girls Kitchen, Boys Dining Room

Dinner - Everyone Kitchen, Thea Dining Room

Weekly

We then switched up our deep cleaning to a once a week rotation of 4 weeks. On Friday afternoons we all pitch in and do the dirty work! I help and work along side our littlest. The main idea is that the picking up has occurred all week long and we just need to do the deep cleaning that one day a week. 

Every child starts by deep cleaning their room or closet (in shared room situations). Then they move on to other cleaning jobs like: clean the car, clean a bathroom, school room... then they end with cleaning out their "locker" which is a catch all for items left around the house.

Both of the above are required and our children don't get an allowance... because we figure that they help make the messes, eat the food and take up space... so they have an obligation to help manage, clean and organize it as well. Haha! 

But...

We are starting another method of home management to also learn about diligence, work ethic and money management called "Jobs for Hire".  The idea behind Jobs for Hire is that they can (but don't have to) do jobs that are on tickets in a jar for payment.  These are generally harder jobs and require some time... and that, honestly, I struggle to get done on a regular basis (or that only need to be done a few times a year).

There are some policies attached to Jobs for Hire... 

~ They must ask permission to do a job (to make sure it's suitable for the child).

~ They must get a time limit to do it... no dragging it out over 2 months.

~ They must do it to the highest standards the 1st time... Do it right the 1st time!

~ They will be paid for the job within a week.

~ More than one kid can go in on a job together... but the amount paid doesn't increase... they have to split it 50/50 despite circumstances like a sibling not doing as much as the other.

But there's a bonus... at the end of every month if a child decides to put their earned money in the bank for savings Dad will match the amount being saved... This lit up many eyes in our home! 

I will keep you posted on how it all goes... because things change and sometimes things aren't successful! 

Happy housekeeping!