Creating Summer Routines & Chore Charts

(This is a repost from LandeeLu.com)

School is almost out and summer is coming! I am so excited to be done with the craziness of Spring and have a little bit more time without having to be one place or the next.  But with summer coming, I've got to be prepared to have a little bit of routine built into our day so we can avoid the boredom and chaos.

During the summer, my kids are expected to pitch in quite a bit with chores and routine.  We get up each morning and get our chores done so we can have some fun the rest of the day.  Each year, the chart needs some tweaking, especially as the kids have grown and are capable of doing more.  Create routines and chore charts that work for your family!

Routines vs. Chores

Each day, my kids have routine items and chores.  Routines are things they need to do every day because they are part of the family or just human! These things include:

•  Eating Breakfast
•  Taking a Bath/Shower
•  Getting Dressed
• Brushing Your Teeth
• Doing Your Hair
• Making Your Bed
• Cleaning up Your Room

I find most kids need reminding to do each and every item every day, so having a Routine Chart hanging up in their room.  If they can read, a simple list works.  If not, you can include pictures.  I really like to have them laminated and if your child likes to check things off, a dry erase marker is helpful.

On your routine list you can also include things like Summer time homework.  I like my children to keep up on their skills during the summer, so we also have reading and doing a few pages in their grade level workbooks as part of their routine.

RoutineList

RoutineList with Pictures

The Master Chore Chart

Beyond our routine items, we have lots of chores that need to be done around in and around our home.  When designing my chore chart, I start with a list of every job I can possibly think of around the house/garage/yard, and then I start evenly distributing them between the kids and who is capable of doing that chore.  I usually do it on a spreadsheet on the computer, but you can also just do it on a piece of paper.  I keep all the chores on one sheet, but you can also have separate sheets for each child if that works better for your family. I also like to laminate them (or have them in a sheet protector) so they can mark them off.

DownloadPrintable Chore Chart

Individual Charts

Keeping your chore chart where everyone can see it is essential.  We keep our master chore chart pinned to the front of our Mail Sorting Station in our Command Center in our kitchen.  

One of the things I have really strived to do with my children is teach them how to properly clean.  Despite my best efforts, they are typical kids and try to rush through.  So, I created chore cards for each job we have around the house.  I have to admit, these cards go a bit overboard, but I figure if they do most of it, then it will be a whole lot cleaner than it would without them!

Download Printable Chore Cards

So with routines, chore charts, and chore cards we are ready for a somewhat structured summer but also ready to have some fun! What are you doing to prepare for summer?