Letter Board Chore Chart For 5-Year-Old

I did it!! You probably thought that hipsters had exhausted all the ways you can use letter boards - but no! I found a new use for them! You're welcome!

We've been reaching some new "big kid" milestones with our oldest.  I feel like it can be easy to forget how much he's capable of with a new baby around, but he really is ready and able to do so much!  There are many studies that show that kids who grow up doing chores end up being more successful and responsible.

We've always had him do things around the house, so this isn't a brand new concept.  However, I realized recently that he might enjoy earning some money, and that of course there were many chores that he could do!

You can search "chores by age", and find lots of great ideas for what kinds of jobs kids can do at certain stages.  Aidan already does a lot of them just out of habit, but I wanted to make some chores more consistent.  Also, we have a unique situation, where Aidan "works" all day at school - he is busy learning a new language.  When he comes home, he's usually exhausted.  So, I didn't want it to be way too much.  Anyway, here's what you'll need:

12x16 inch letter board, like this one

Exacto knife

Piggy bank (we went with a 12x12 shadow box one, similar to this.  I like it, because you can see the money accumulating!)

Desired skills:

- fostering good work ethic

- learning to tithe

- valuing money

- learning to save

Directions:

1. Use the exacto knife to get a clean cut when you're cutting out the enclosed letters.

2. Title your board if you like (kids love seeing their names).

3. Write out the (abbreviated version of the) days of the week on the left, leaving two lines between each word.

4. At the top, list the chores.

5. I added the chores that are only weekly at the bottom.

Another layout option for more chores would be to have just the first letter of each day at the top, and then the chores down the side.  Your choice! :)

We're using all the little symbols that came in the pack to "check" off the days.

And there you go!

What we've achieved so far:

- all week, Aidan has come out of his room with his bed made! Now, I'm not delusional, I know the excitement of it will wear off, but for now I'm loving it!

- he loves "checking things off" his list, and is enjoying the sense of responsibility. Yay!

Hooray for big kids, and new milestones!

My Son Thinks Doing The Laundry Is A "Mommy Job"

My son thinks doing the laundry is a "Mommy job".

He also thinks cooking dinner is a "Daddy job".  Cleaning is a "Daddy job".  Making something we call fancy snacks is a "Mommy job".  Making coffee in the morning is a "Daddy job" - one that he insists on doing when Daddy is out of town.  Cleaning up after dinner is a "Mommy job".  Making the beds alternates - depending on who got up with him in the morning - the other unloads the dishwasher.  Daddy puts up the hooks for mommy to hang things in the apartment.  Mommy chops veggies for Daddy.

My parents got Aidan a kitchen for his birthday - because he wants to be just like Daddy.  While his Daddy is busy making dinner, he's usually "cooking" away in his own kitchen - one that has a microwave, unlike ours.  A fact he is very proud of.  

The child has a favorite vacuum cleaner (we have a real one, and a little hand-held one).  He likes to help me sort the laundry, load the washing machine, and push the buttons.  He likes to put the dishwasher capsule in the dishwasher.

So the other day, when I was folding laundry on the couch, and he said that when he got married his wife would do the laundry, the feminist in me freaked out a bit, and in that calm mommy voice we all learn to speak in, I said, "well, you can do the laundry!  And who is gonna do your laundry when you're not married?"  To which he responded, "Like in college?" I said, "Yes."  To which he answered, "You can do my laundry."  I told him that he would probably live too far from me for me to do his laundry, and again, that he could do his own laundry.  By now I'm ready to organize a march, and wear a "She Persisted" shirt.  Then the other half of the conversation came... and he said, "When I get married, my wife will do the laundry, and I'll cook the dinner.  And I'll make coffee.  And we'll have two Slovenian babies, and I'll have a desk."

And there it is.  My little four-year-old is planning his future, and in that future there are chores, equal responsibilities and a desk.  And do you know why? Because it's what he sees modeled in our home every day.  We frequently tell him that we are a team, and that we all work together in our family.  We tell him that we love each other, and so we like to do things that help one another.

After our conversation, my heart could explode - I love how his mind works.  And I'm crazy thankful for the guy who does all the "Daddy jobs", and teaches our son to value the same things.  You know what they say: "Train up a child..."  And we're doing our best.