About eight months ago, our large family tried out a new chore system that is still working great for us. We had just sold our home and moved into a rental house. Because the rental was a lot smaller than our previous home, I knew that I’d need to rework our chore system. But instead of reworking our old chore system, I ended up creating a new chore system for our large family.
Large Family Chore System
Here is how our new chore system works. All of our daily chores are written out on index cards and divided among two different envelopes marked “Morning Chores” and “Evening Chores.” I have six kids at home right now so there are six chore cards in each envelope. (I also created a separate “Sunday Chores” envelope since our schedule is different on Sundays.)
Every morning, after having breakfast and getting dressed, each child draws a chore from the “Morning Chores” envelope. Then, they complete the chore and move on to their school work.
In the evening, after dinner, each child draws a chore from the “Evening Chores” envelope and completes the chore written on the card.
At the top of each envelope is a reminder of a chore that everyone must do. In the morning that is to make their beds and in the evening, they must clean up any messes that they left out from playing or doing crafts.
If a chore is too difficult for a younger child to do on their own then I will assist them with their chore. I use this as an opportunity to train them to do a particular chore better and more efficiently. Obviously, lots of grace and patience is extended as children learn and grow in their ability to complete different chores.
Another thing to note is that one of our “Evening Chores” cards is a “surprise chore.” I use this in one of two ways. First, if a younger child got a difficult chore and an older (and patient) child got the surprise chore, I will ask the older child to assist the younger one in the chore. Secondly, I often use the surprise chore card to have a child tackle an area of the house that has been neglected and needs a little tidying up.
New Chore System Solves Two Dilemmas
There were two big dilemmas with our old chore system that this new one solved.
First, in our previous chore system, each of my children did the exact same chores every day. They had gotten really good at their particular chores but they had no idea how to do any of the other chores around the house. For example, one child new how to clean a bathroom but had never learned how to run the washing machine and dryer. Another child could handle kitchen duties but wasn’t sure how to mop the floor properly. I needed a system that allowed me to teach all of my children how to tackle each individual household chore.
The second dilemma was that my younger kids were still growing in their ability to do chores. This meant that the chores they were assigned to were never done well. This wasn’t a huge deal. We all understood that they were learning and growing in their abilities. I knew that I’d need to come back later and vacuum the floor or rearrange some of the misplaced items that had been unloaded from the dishwasher. But this new system changed all that! I can work with my younger ones at their level one day, knowing that the next day some else (probably more capable) will have that chore and will do a more thorough job.
I now have the opportunity to teach each of my kids how to do each household chore. I also know that if something doesn’t get done well one day, a more experienced child will probably tackle it the next day.
Another Added Benefit
I wasn’t sure that this new chore system would last very long but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my kids enjoyed the variety. It seems that they got bored of doing the same chores every single day. They look forward to the surprise of drawing a chore out of the envelope each day.
Not for Everyone nor For Every Season
There are so many different ways to tackle chores as a family. This chore system is working great for us right now. It probably wouldn’t have worked as well for us in the past and I’m sure we will change things up again in the future. I love that there are so many creative ways to tackle daily tasks as a family. This chore system might not work for you and your family but perhaps it will spark your imagination as you think about how to get the chores done in your own home.
I’d love to hear from you. What chore systems are working really well for you right now? Share in the comments so we can all learn from one another.
Leave a Reply