G's Chore Chart

Gretchen is of the age where she needs to start learning chores and taking some responsibility. Yes, she's only three, but I think there are several things she can do to 'help' around the house and to become more independent before her little sister gets here.

I'm also living as a 'single mom' at the moment, and being 27 weeks pregnant, I am learning that I can't continue to do it all. It's just too difficult to bend over!

So, I came up with an idea of a chore wheel. I simply cut out a large circle out of cardstock paper, and divided it into 8 sections. In each section, I wrote down 1 thing that G can do to help around the house.

~ Brush her teeth

~ Put away the napkins after we eat dinner. (We had already started this, as we use cloth napkins, they need to go in the laundry room, and that's an easy chore for her to pick them up and place them in the wash bin)

~ Clean up her toys

~ Put away her shoes (they always end up in the living room, laundry room, or kitchen!)

~ Throw away trash (This isn't something I always expect, but often times she'll have a yogurt tube or fruit snacks package, that can be thrown away)

~ Put her cups in the sink (Yesterday, I found 3 sippy cups around the house- yuck!)

~ Put away her dirty clothes

~ Get dressed (of course, she still requires help with this)

Of course, I want to reinforce her behaviors, but we are starting out slow, so she can get the basic understanding of how her chore chart will work. Right now, when she completes 4 out of the 8 tasks, she'll get money to put in her piggy bank. Now, I'm not talking $5.00..... I'm not even talking $1.00. She's three, and I'm not ready to teach her about larger bills, nor do I have bills to spare. After all, three pennies, is way more rewarding to her than $1.00. Gradually, she will have to have all 8 clothespins in order to receive her money, and then, on a few acceptable spaces, she'll earn more than 1 (such as brushing her teeth).

I'm also using it as a negative reinforcer. If she is whiny she may loose a clothespin. If she does not listen, she can loose a clothespin, and her money can even be taken back. Sometimes, I feel that the negative reinforcement of things, do not last very long with her. But, initially, they are very powerful, because she does not want to loose what she has just worked hard to earn. I'll continue to monitor this form of the chart, and I'll warn anyone that this may not be the best form of 'discipline' for your child, and as soon as it looses affect, we stop using it.

On each clothespin, I drew a $ symbol. I also have spare clothespins, so if money looses it's reinforcement value, I can change it to stickers, or even a small toy, or ice cream. I'll draw symbols of whatever is reinforcing to her at the time.

What kind of chores do you require of your tot? Do you use a chore chart with them? What is reinforcing to your child?