Chore Sticks

   

   Saturday is the day we usually do chores at our house since we are so busy during the week. Many times we have had disputes about who should do what or if a certain chore is really "fair"! In order to solve these battles we have started to draw chores from our "Jar of Chores". So far using this method has helped keep the chores new and exciting  (as much as chores can be) and eliminate any blame that one child may put on another.

   I have divided my sticks into 3 different colors giving each chore a level of difficulty and associating it with a color. For example a hard chore would be cleaning the toilet (green stick), medium difficulty would be vacuuming (yellow stick), and an easy chore would be dusting (orange stick). My kids draw one of each color on Saturday morning and it usually takes them about an hour to an hour and a half to do all three. My husband and I fill in the gaps of what didn't get cleaned (which works out fine for us). I figure the purpose of chores is to teach my children to take pride in where they live, give them life skills to use later in life, and show them the value of hard work. For little kids you could just give them one of the easy chores or you can adapt chores to fit the age of your child. My oldest son has always loved to fold clothes with me. Instead of asking a 4 year old to wash the laundry (like you would an older child) I would have them fold their own pants and shirts or help fold a load of towels. Believe me it won't be perfect, but it is priceless to see how proud a kid can be when they  have done something all on their own!
      I made my jar with washi tape and a glass jar that I purchased from Michael's. I put washi tape on my popsicles sticks and I covered both sides so the stick color would be easy to identify. Super easy and it took me 10 mins to finish this project. What is nice about decorating a jar for your chore sticks is that it can stay out on the counter or workspace without looking like an eye sore! This is so simple even your kids can help make the jar and sticks!
      Let me know how your chore sticks work for your family!