How the chore chart is working for us

A few weeks back, I told you about a new chore system we'd implemented for the kids.

We've been using this system for almost two months now, so I thought I'd update you on how it's going, mention some of the changes we've made to the system, and explain why I think it's important for kids to do chores.

How it's going
It's going surprisingly well. The kids are taking pride in their work and doing a better and better job each week.

I still have to remind them to do their chores sometimes, especially if they're on dishes, but I've added an incentive to help motivate them with that.

Incentive
The kid who does the best job of managing their chore for the week gets a 20c pocket money raise.

Cool, huh?!

I tell them every week that the behaviours I'm looking for when deciding who gets the pocket money raise are:

• doing their job without needing to be reminded
• doing their job with a cheerful attitude
• doing their job to the best of their ability
• doing their job every day

I figure that in the real workplace, people are rewarded for doing their work well, so this incentive will teach my kids about how the real world works. It also means that the children who regularly do their work well, will get compensated more for their work than the children who are not so diligent. I'm happy to reward the hardest workers more.

Changes
Apart from adding the pocket money raise incentive,  the child in charge of bathroom for the week now has to wipe the vanity down each day. (Previously they just had to clean the vanity, shower and bath once in a week.)

That's because my children were usually choosing to clean the vanity, bath and shower all in one day, which made it hard for me to compare their diligence in doing that job against the other jobs that require daily attention - dishes and toilets. By requiring a daily wipe down of the vanity, I'm now more fairly able to compare diligence in the three different areas of responsibility, which makes it easier to judge who should get a pocket money raise each week.

Why I think chores are important for kids
In our parents group, which meets monthly, we've been discussing the current age of entitlement our kids are growing up in, and thinking about ways to combat it and/or make the most of it.

I think getting kids to do chores can help them understand that they are not the centre of the world, but are part of a larger community that depends on them.

Doing chores can teach children responsibility, how to meet obligations, how to pitch in even when the work ain't fun, how to take pride in a job well done, and that the world isn't here to serve them, but that they can make the world a better place by their contribution to it.

I've just ordered the book, Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, from the library on the recommendation of a friend, so I can delve into other ways to teach my kids about serving and helping others.

Now I'd love to hear your thoughts on raising outward-looking children.