Chore time often
brings grumbles from
every room of the house. Children complain about siblings who don't do
their fair
share of the work. Parents complain about children who don't want to
help and
expect Mom and Dad to do it all. Tempers fray, voices raise and
household
disorder reigns supreme.
Few people, adults
and kids alike,
actually enjoy doing chores, but they're a necessity we can't avoid.
What can
make things easier is doing a chore you like instead of the one you
dread. Try
using the chore game as a way to make what has to be done a little
easier.
First
set-up the game.
Walk through your entire house and make a
list of all chores. Don't forget outside, too. Add chores for mom and
dad so
the kids can see that running a household takes total cooperation. Next
to each
chore list materials needed to accomplish it, and any special
instructions.
Write each chore on
an index card. Be
specific, not general. Clean the living room is too general for kids.
(And
sometimes too overwhelming for moms and dads.) Break it down into units
like
dust, vacuum, pick-up clutter, etc.
After listing each chore on its own card,
write the directions and supplies that go with the chore on the back of
the
card. Next, gather the family around the table and you're ready to play.
How to play the
game:
Deal the cards out one at a time to each
member of the household until all the cards are gone. Each player looks
at
their cards, and separates them into those they want to keep and those
they
want to discard.
The youngest person
goes first. They
place a discard in the middle of the table and ask for a trade. Any one
can
offer a trade, and the player can either accept a new chore or decide
to keep
the one they already have. Play continues around the table as long as
necessary
until all the chores have been settled.
Some trades are
worth more to one kid
then another. Loading and unloading the dishwasher every day may appeal
to one
child more than dusting once a week. Another child might think that
vacuuming
is too hard but that cleaning the bathroom is fun. If the kids are both
happy
with the assignments, don't get involved with what YOU think will make
it fair.
When people begin to get bored with their chores, it's time to play
again.
The chore game is a great way to show
that there are no "girl" chores or "boy" chores. There are
just generic responsibilities necessary to keep our life running
smoothly. But
the best part about the chore game, is that no matter how often you
play it,
everyone in the family is a winner.
ADDITIONAL
PLAYING HINTS FOR THE CHORE GAME
1.
Each chore in a room does not have to be done by the same person. This
is a
good way to get siblings to work
together.
2.
When having younger children do chores, take time the first time to
show them
exactly what you want them to
do.
3.
Lower your standards a little. The chore might not be done exactly the
way you
would do it, but resist the urge
to do it over. You defeat the whole purpose of the game and damage your
child's self-esteem in the process.
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