Chore Charts and Cleaning Checklists

One of the best things about summer is being able to have my kids at home and teach them about running a home and family.  With five kids, things are a bit more complicated, but we are figuring things out.  I created the following chore chart for my three oldest children (ages 12, 10, and 7) and so far things are working well.  This chart is hung on our Home Management System (more on that later!) in a sheet protector and the kids can mark off their chores with a wet erase marker.

I print the charts out in 2 sections (the first half of the week and the second half of the week).  Each child is assigned a number of items to do over the course of the week.  I really try hard to make it fair and age appropriate. Because we are a blended family and children spend parts of their week with their other parents, some hours/days are grayed out for those children.

You can see and download my blank chore chart here.  Feel free to customize and change it to fit your needs and family.

My kids also get really lazy confused about what actually needs to be done when doing a specific chore.  So, I made up cards with all the requirements for each chore, printed them on cardstock (2 to a page) and laminated them.  They can be found easily in our Home Management Binder (again...more on that later!).

You can see and download our Cleaning Checklists here.  Feel free to customize and change it to fit your needs and family.

What kinds of chore charts have worked for your family?