Any suggestion on chores reward?

I was just at the conference in Des Moines ane there is a really cool looking (haven’t tried it yet ) product idea called Moti-ventures.  moti-venture.com   It’s a dad invention – need I say more?!  Dads are so much fun!  I’m thinking about trying one or two here.  The reward is an ongoing adventure that requires earning points by doing whatever you determine they should.  So…that’s a thought, though I can’t really speak from experience!  Maybe more involved than you want it to be.

Motivatiion comes in two forms at our house for chores.

1. Chorepacks – We start each child with chorepacks – little clip on sets of cards showing what chores to do in order. The child is not to move a card to the back of the pack until that job is done. Once competed with a pack they turn it in on my desk. They are certifying they have done each job in the pack. If we discover a chore was skipped it is treated as lying because they were dishonest and moved a card without doing it on purpose. They don’t want to face those consequences. 😉 They are well trained in how to do the chores before they are held responsible. I show them the chore. I work alongside them. I watch while they work, and then they do it independently and have me checkup when done. This process takes at least a week or so of training for a new chore.

2. Meals. If you don’t work (chores) you don’t eat. Period. If chores are not finished when a meal rolls around you miss the meal. If you finish the chores up after the mealtime has ended you’ll have to wait until the next mealtime to eat. It really doesn’t take much for a child to realize the impact of not doing chores. The once or twice they test this one (if they do) it is harder on mommy than on them, honest.

All of this is handled with much love and sympathy, but the lines are firmly drawn and we stick by them.

I was wondering if any of you who use Chorepacks have begun doing so when your children were not particularly young. I picked up a copy of Managers of Their Chores recently and like what I’ve read so far, but I can see my kids (11, 12, 14) rolling their eyes at the idea and possibly flat-out refusing to follow the program.

Chores have been assigned and completed so inconsistently of late that I have to do something. So, I’m wondering how the Chorepack idea went over with your kids when introduced.

Food is a great motivator! Also in our house if there is any complaining about doing something, they get more work.

Our budget is so tight, we do not have money to pay our kids even if we wanted to. They live/eat/work in our house just like we do. We all work in the garden together too. I’ve found out that if I’m doing something at the same time or along side of them it goes quicker and easier.

At our house a few morning chores is just the normal routine before breakfast….make bed, get dressed, dog care…then eat and brush teeth.  No rewards:)  Though during the school year I do let them watch a short t.v. show during lunch if they complete morning routine in 1 hr. or less (they were dawdling over meals!)

They know to clean up and put their dishes in the dishwasher after every meal.  They’re supposed to pick up after themselves, too…but sometimes I need to remind:) If it gets bad, I tell them they’ll have to return the item to it’s place/garbage ‘their age.’ So 9yo walks back and forth 9 times, etc.

What helps me to keep it simple is Sat. morning is our ‘big chore day.’ We do all our weekly cleaning…dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, small garbages.  I do better w/a large chunk of labor than dividing up throughout the week.  We don’t pay for any of this, but they do get a small allowance (unrelated to chores).  The only chores we pay for are out of the ordinary things like raking leaves, cleaning windows, etc. Hope you find a system that works well! Blessings, Gina