DIY Kids Chore Charts- Part 2

Today I am sharing part 2 on how we assembled our DIY Kids Chore Charts. If you missed part 1 on how the system works go here.

SUPPLIES:

• Cardstock for printing
• Computer for finding images
• Printer
• popsicle sticks for prizes
• velcro sticky tabs (I used over 65 for my sons chart alone)
• laminator (or take it to staples)
• pencil
• sharpie
• ruler

First off determine what kind of theme you want. For my son's first chore chart, we chose a barn theme. We chose about 7 or 8 farm animals and decided their goal would be to make it into the barn. As my son has gotten older, his interests have changed and so we switched to a new theme, dinosaurs. He decided their goal would be to make it to the volcano. He also toyed with the idea of ocean creatures trying to make it back to the ocean. For my nieces, they love strawberry shortcake and princesses so we chose strawberry shortcakes home, and a princess castle as their goal destinations. Be creative, look at your child's interests. You could do sports theme, animal themes, cars, etc.

After deciding on a theme, we went to the internet where you can find lots of free images to use for personal use. I let my son go and select various types of dinos he wanted to use and I then uploaded and resized them in photoshop to print. (or you can use free editing software) We also found a volcano he loved that would be his goal area for his dinos. You will also want to choose an image to use on the front of your daily and weekly rewards so you can keep them straight. For our dino theme, we used a palm tree for daily rewards and a volcano for weekly rewards. If you don't want to print images...you can look at your local craft store and find die-cuts or stickers to use by mounting them on cardstock and continuing on the process.

For the girls charts, we did a similar process of finding figures they liked and wanted to use. For strawberry shortcakes daily rewards it was an image of a strawberry and weekly rewards it was the house.

 Princesses had a crown for daily rewards and the castle for the weekly reward.

 If you cannot find free images that will work with your theme, you can look at stock images or photos to purchase. This gets pricey though! 

To make the grid chart, we got 12x12 sheets of paper and measured them out according to how many tasks we would need to fit. For my sons, I had to trim the side and attach it to the bottom to make it long enough to fit the designated amount of weekly chores I wanted to use. 

My sister was able to fit hers on the 12x12 paper which worked great because she was them able to attach it to a file folder with the chore chart grid on one side, and the goal on the other. So long story short...you'll have to figure this out on your own based on your amount of chores! We found it easiest to just draw on the grid using a sharpie and a ruler. :)

After we had all our images selected, we put them on an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper and resized them all to fit into the chart (grid chart where figures will move forward each day) we drew by hand. We had to make sure the figures would fit into the spaces on the page. We also printed out the volcano, castle, and house on an 8.5 by 11 sheet as well. 

Once we had them all printed(figures, goal sheets, rewards), we cut them out. At this point you will write on the back of the weekly and daily rewards cards. 

You will also want to determine what the chores on the chart will be. I typed mine up and printed them out so that I could change them out on the chart as necessary. (Some weeks my son may need to work on no tantrums...maybe some weeks eating his veggies at dinner!) After you have all your pieces ready to go you will laminate it all so it can stand the wear and tear of daily use. 

 For the daily and weekly rewards we taped them onto popsicle sticks to make them easy to fan out and select for the children. For the rest of the pieces we bought sticky velcro tabs to attach to the chores, figures, and their spots on the charts and goal sheets. We had to let the velcro set on the laminated charts or else the velcro will just rip off. Also, still be careful since the velcro is such a shiny surface you can easily rip off the velcro if your not careful. And there you have it, super fun customized cute chore/behavior charts.

Go check out Part 1 to learn how this system works.

Want updates and spoilers on projects and ideas?  Come like me on facebook , twitter, and Google + to keep up on whats up next!

I'm join these fabulous link parties each week:   I heart naptime, Under the table and dreaming, Not just a housewife, The Project Queen, , Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Kurtz Corner,  Krafty Kat, Polly want a Crafter, Blue Cricket Design, Southern Lovely, Ginger Snap Crafts,   Laugh, Love, Craft,  Clean and Scentsible,  House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Shabby Nest,  Tatortots & Jello, Simply Designing, Chic on a Shoestring,  ,Someday Crafts,   The Idea Room ,Between U and Me,    Positively Splendid,  Raising 4 Princesses , One Stop Shoppe,  Its Overflowing, The D.I.Y. Dreamer ,Serendipity & Spice, ,Crafty blog stalker , CSI Project, 36th Avenue, Real housewives of Riverton ,The rustic pig , Clever Chicks Blog Hop , Skip to My Lou , Real thing with the Coake Family

DIY Kids Chore Charts- Part 1

Are you looking for a fun way to teach your kids that doing "chores" can be fun? I am sharing my DIY Kids Chore Chart System. I came up with this system about 4 years ago when my son was 3 and it has worked. :) Today I will share part 1- How it works, tomorrow join me for part 2- How to assemble! 

 

We recently switched from a barn animal/farm theme to dinosaurs/volcano theme, and I also helped my sister put some together for her little girls so this was the perfect time to share the process and how this system works! This is the perfect system for younger children to learn about responsibility and behavior.

Cleaning Schedule for each day

 I was talking with my Sister the other day and we were chatting about keeping our houses clean among the myriad of tasks and daily living we have to do. Sometimes it really does seem overwhelming doesn't it? My Sister asked me to pass on my 'system' to her. I decided to share it here in hopes that maybe it will help someone too. Basically, I have a family organizational system that I implemented over 4 years ago just after having our first child. I have compartmentalized my life into a binder. This binder contains everything we 'need' about us and our lives. It contains anything from our contact phone numbers- to auto care history- to our Christmas card list. I will be sharing this with you in the next coming months. I am pretty excited about it, #1 because it works, #2 because it is clean, #3 did I mention it works?


I won't necessarily be starting at the beginning of our binder because of this time of year and things getting crazy, I think that covering the "cleaning" section would be in order. First off, let me say that I know and understand that there are 100 ways to do this and that everyone has there own method. Also, I think that with anything you should take it and make it your own and adapt it to your personality, style, and lifestyle. Here is the book that got me all started:

If you know me and have ever invited me to a bridal shower, than you know that this is a popular gift I give. I love this book and I found it such a huge resource. I follow the Martha Stewart method of cleaning. I must say, I hate cleaning. No really, H*A*T*E* it. The thought of all I have to do each day makes me want to just sit in my pajamas and surf the internet. If I know I have my whole house (which isn't that big) to clean it just wears me out dreading it thinking about it. Hence the saving grace of my cleaning method. I have my cleaning worked into different 3 different sections, 1-Daily Quick Clean, 2- Weekly assigned tasks(these are tasks designed to each day of the week), 3-Monthly Cleaning.

First lets talk about Daily Cleaning. These are things I need to do everyday to keep my house running smooth. When I say NEED, I mean it. Rarely will you find a dirty dish in my house, mainly because I hate stuck on food. I would rather just get things cleaned up quickly and be done with it. I also wash the countertops and table after every meal. This is mostly my way of trying to avoid bug infestations, but it has turned into a healthy habit that makes a difference. It only takes a few minutes. When I let those little things pile up...it gets harder to face. Sitting down to read the paper at the table with crumbs just doesn't work for me! Its a little thing that I know has to be maintained and it makes all the difference. Also, mostly at the end of the day, I go through and declutter. Not clean myself silly, but pick up some of the stuff that has strayed like shoes that are 2 feet from the entry closet (see an example from our last house),

 mail sitting on my cute entry table, toys, etc. 

 Its amazing the difference it is to wake up to a mostly picked up house, versus waking up and walking out to the living areas and finding clutter and toys already and you just woke up! If you get in the habit of picking up something here and there throughout the day...it isn't so bad. Also, your husband kids will start to learn to pick up after themselves as well without having to be scolded into it. Healthy habits make a healthy happy home! Here is my daily quick clean sheet. These are my chosen daily things to keep my house running smoothly.

 

This is the page that I have printed and placed at the beginning of my "Cleaning" section in my binder. I know it by heart now, but I like lists. Lists promote action from me. :)

Go here to download this sheet with my list. Go here to download this pdf sheet that you can write in your own daily quick clean schedule. Join me next week for our next installment!