We introduced Leah to the magical world of chore charts this past week, which we refer to as "Daily Responsibilities". Right now the concept is pretty simple. Take a ticket for each task completed, save them up, and shop at the family store on Saturday. It all started to make sense on Saturday when she saw a beautiful new Sleeping Beauty doll that she could "buy". She didn't' have enough tickets for it, though, and instead purchased back her toys that Mr. Butler had taken away in a pre-nap cleaning frenzy and a date with Mom to get her nails painted. I was planning on taking her to a place not too far from here that will paint little girls nails for $3, but she thought it meant that I would paint her nails in her room- something we do about twice a month anyway- but she was so excited that we did that instead.
I haven't decided yet how I feel about rewards for chores versus just doing things because you need to help out around the house, but so far, this system has worked pretty well. It's been great saying, "Check your chart and see which tickets you can get today!" instead of nagging her to death about putting napkins on the table or brushing her teeth.Plus, the items in the family store can be as big or little- expensive or free- as I choose. And it gives Leah a way to earn toys instead of just asking for something and having it handed over. So far I've been pleased with all the potential lessons that have come from this idea- counting, basic math, saving, earning, working toward a goal, delayed gratification- and some chores are getting done, too!
2 comments:
I agree- it's hard to figure out. with Eva we have things that she's asked to do (ie: unload the dishwasher three times a week) I think we're going to have her do regular chores and then if she wants to earn rewards or money there will be extra chores to do like, washing baseboards and walls during the week (that's her and Elle's regular Saturday chore). Chores is a whole new thing for me, I'm trying to figure it out!
That is so cute that she was more excited about painting fingernails with her mom than having a professional do it or "buying" something:). She looks really pleased! So who does little girl's nails for $3?
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