Family Chore Charts

Chore charts aren't just for kids anymore. Family chore charts can be a great way to keep track of who is doing what and whether it's been done. This is especially helpful when you have several kids plus parents who each have part of the household chore list.

• Get your household chore list together. This could be daily household chores or a house cleaning chore list. Use what makes the most sense for your family. If you don't have a list, take a couple of minutes to write one down. It doesn't have to be perfect, so don't spend too much time trying to get it just right.
• Give each chore an owner. This is where the chores get divided between kids, teens and parents. Some chores can't be done by smaller kids because they just don't have the skills or strength to do them yet (like hauling trash to the curb). Take a first pass at it and then see if the list looks evenly divided. Keep in mind that "even" doesn't have to mean that everyone gets the same number of chores. It just means that everyone is contributing a fair share to the running of the house.
• Make your chart. Taking your household chore list with names on it, put it into a chart. Here's an example of one if you need some help getting started. As a chore gets done, you can put a sticker over or mark out the box that applies to each chore on a given day. You can also have the family member who is assigned that household chore initial in the box.
• Start using it. Now that you have your chore chart outlined, it's time to get started using it. Post it in a place where everyone can see it easily. This may be a bulletin board in your kitchen or on the refrigerator. It could be on the back of a door that is passed on the way in and out of the house. The key is finding a place that everyone passes by on a regular basis. Seeing the family chore chart can be a good reminder itself!
• Review and update it as needed. It would be great if you could do the chore chart once and be done. But the household chore list can change over time, and the chore chart will need to change with it. This could be because you have certain seasonal chores on the list or because you are having summer chore challenges. Anything can be addressed by being flexible and revising your list when it needs to be changed. Now that you've been through the process once, updating it will be an easier task.

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