Summer Job Charts

Last summer I posted about our rotating chore chart. That worked great...last summer. This summer I wanted to kick it up a notch. This year the boys are bigger and the jobs they can do are bigger and the money they want to earn is bigger!!!
This year each boy has his own chore chart. I bought them little wooden plaques and let them each paint their own (and despite the fact that they each painted their own they all ended up a muddy shade of green. That's what happens when you mix blue and red and yellow, folks). I made a list of the jobs that are available on a daily basis with descriptions. Here is our list:

What’s My Job?

Animal feeder: Feed and water the cats and chickens.

Bed maker: Very neatly make the beds that belong to children. This is a morning job.

Bus boy: Clear the table after lunch and dinner.

Dishwasher empty-er: When Mom says to empty the dishwasher you empty the dishwasher and put the dishes away. You can nicely ask a brother to help you.

Garbage/recycling man: Anytime during the day. Empty the bathroom garbage into the kitchen garbage and put the can back. Take out recycling from the kitchen and sort it in Mom’s garage.

Laundry man: A morning job. Bring the laundry down from upstairs and sort it in the laundry room. Also do any other laundry related job Mom asks you to do.

Mailman: An afternoon job. Go to the mailbox and bring in the mail. You’ll also take any mail out to the mailbox.

Odd jobs man: Mom calls on you when she has a job to do that isn’t covered by the other chores.

Table setter: Set the table for lunch and dinner.

Water boy: Waters the gardens including the big veggie one, the kitchen garden, the yard tire and the patio line of flowers. Anytime during the day is fine. You can nicely ask a brother to help.

Water heater guy: Evan or Aidan only. The water heater guy turns the water heater down after Mom and Dad have showered.

Note that some are morning jobs, some are afternoon jobs and some are jobs where the standards would have to change depending on which boy did the job! For example, Evan unloads the entire dishwasher, but Toby only has to unload the silverware.

I wrote each job on a big Popsicle stick and put a Velcro dot on the back. Each boy has a certain number of Velcro dots on his chart. Every morning the boys choose their jobs from the job stick cup (fancy schmancy title, huh?) and stick them on their charts! After completing a job the stick goes back in the cup.

Now, comes the big question, do you pay your kids for chores? Well, yes and no. Toby doesn't really understand money since he's only three, so, no. Aidan gets a whole dollar at the end of the week simply because he's helping save up money to go in on a Star Wars or Indiana Jones Lego set with Evan. Evan gets paid on a "base plus commission" basis. He gets $3 each week for jobs done well and with a good attitude. Any jobs left at the end of the day that I have to do cost him $.25. If he does jobs above and beyond his regularly scheduled chore chart jobs he can negotiate for "commission" or we can "catch him being good" and reward him accordingly. I have a little "time card" on the fridge where he records his extra earnings.

So, while our earlier version of the chore chart worked for me, this newer one Works For Me now! Shannon has links to tons of other great ideas at Rocks In My Dryer. And while you're at it, read through some of her other posts because she's got a great all around blog!