How to Make a Chore Chart Without Incentives

Children can benefit from having a chore chart to guide them through their daily or weekly chores. However, many families make the mistake of providing incentives for chores. A child does not automatically need to receive an incentive for helping with personal and household chores. Incentives in the form of allowance are common but are not a necessary requirement to make a chore chart. Read on to learn how to make a chore chart without incentives.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Printer
• Word processing program
• Access to lamination machine
• Adhesive-backed magnetic strip
• Dry erase marker

Instructions

1. Open your word processing program on your computer and start a new document. You will want to place your child’s name at the top.

2. Create a category for daily chores and a separate category for weekly chores. For the daily chores, break it down into the seven days of the week so that there is a check box for every chore for each day of the week. For the weekly chore chart just create a space for one check box per chore.

3. List all of your child’s daily chores. Some examples of daily chores include make the bed, put dirty laundry into laundry basket and stack books neatly on the bookshelf.

4. Type your child’s weekly chores into the weekly category. These chores will vary depending on the age of the child but a few examples are wash and put away laundry or vacuum the bedroom floor.

5. Add some color to the chore chart to make it visually appealing to your child. Add your child’s favorite color or some neat clip art graphics to the chore chart.

6. Print out the chore chart in full color. If you have a lamination machine, laminate the chore chart yourself. If you do not, take it to your local office supply store and have the sheet laminated.

7. Place adhesive-backed magnetic stripping to the laminated chore chart. The adhesive side will ensure that the magnetic strip stays on the chart.

8. Place the laminated chore chart on your refrigerator or another magnetic surface.

9. Have your child place a check mark next to each chore as it is completed. Many children like the follow-through that comes with checking items off of a list. Parents and children can also visually see the status of their regular chores.