Summer Chore Sticks

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Last Thursday our newest addition made his entrance into the world – we brought home our little Emmett on Tuesday and things have been a little crazy ever since! Both of my boys had their end of year graduation celebrations from Pre-K and Kindergarten this week and today is their last day of school. I knew things were going to get hectic when the baby came and summer break started so I made summer chore sticks a few weeks ago. The boys have been begging to go back to Chuck-E-Cheese since we took them for the first time a few weeks ago so my husband and I decided that by helping with chores they can earn money towards tokens at Chuck-E-Cheese. I haven’t quite decided how much each chore will be worth but I think $.10-$.50 per chore depending on what it is? What do you think is fair or how to you give allowance? To make the chore sticks I used big popsicle sticks and dipped the ends in acrylic paint. Mason’s sticks have green and Wyatt’s sticks have blue. I let the paint dry and then I used stamps and ink to stamp the chores on each stick. As the boys do a chore they will take it out of the jar and I’ll tally up their earning at the end of each day. Some chores will be done daily and others will be done less often. I asked about age appropriate chores on my facebook page and one of my followers (Thanks Megan!) shared this Age Appropriate Chores printable from The Happy Housewife… I used the chart from The Happy Housewife to add a few more things to their sticks. Mason is going to be 5 in a few weeks and Wyatt is 6 so I think they are ready to help with loading/unloading the dishwasher, sorting their own socks and undies, putting away their own laundry and cleaning their bathroom sink. I also have chores such as make your bed and take out trash/recycling but we felt the chores they already do such as clean their room and clear their plates after meals should not merit a reward. We don’t want the boys to think they get rewards for everything nor do we want them to expect rewards. I hope the summer chores will teach them how to complete the new chores and after school is back in they can continue to do them WITHOUT reward. If all goes well I will think about making up new chores for them to earn rewards.