Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

This topic has 17 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 11 months ago by Carmen.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 18 total)

1 2 →

Author
Posts
June 20, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Carmen
Participant
I am planning my chores chart and reward chrat for my kids. It’s hard to come up with rewards for them. I am still struggling with giving money for chorres, so it wouldn’t be my choice at this stage.
I am thinking 1/2 hr game, but don’t know any good one.
Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you.
June 20, 2012 at 9:31 pm
anniepeter
Participant
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.
June 20, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Tristan
Participant
Carmen, remind us of the ages you are working with.
Honestly, we do not reward children for doing chores. They are a part of this household and help make the mess/live here/eat here so they help maintain the home. Mine are 11, 7, 6, 4, 3, 1, and 5 mos and all but the 5 month old participate in chores extensively. We also do not pay for chores.
What we do pay for:
weeding the garden (pay is once per month)
chores we do not wish to do ourselves (cleaning out and vaccuming the vans, mopping all wood floors, etc).
Each family is different however! If you want rewards then I’m sure someone on here will have ideas if we know the ages.
June 20, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Carmen
Participant
I agee with you Tristan. If you don’t give rewards, how do you motivate them without complaining and dragging?
I didn’t give any but I drag them everyday, that’s why I am thinking give in a reward for some chores.
they are 7.5 and 5 yos.

June 20, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Janell
Participant
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 🙂
It works every time…chores before meals.
We are much like Tristan’s family and give the children service projects that they get paid for when their regular duties are completed.
Hope you get ideas too.
June 20, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Tristan
Participant
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.
June 21, 2012 at 12:12 am
missceegee
Participant
We do as Janell and Tristan with our 4 kids. Food is a great motivator!
June 21, 2012 at 12:31 am
Carmen
Participant
wow, very good strategy! Thanks for reminding me training them before they hold the responsibility.
Carmen

June 21, 2012 at 1:42 am
Linabean
Participant
Hi Carmen,
We use something called the Accountable Kids Program. I find it to be very useful in habits training.
As far as rewards for chores, we don’t really do rewards so to speak, but they earn tickets for each set of chores they finish (morning, noon, evening) and then they can use those tickets to “buy” a privilege. So, just like real life, if you don’t do certain work, the consequences to that is that you will have not earned certain privileges. Our privileges are ANY screen time on ANY type of device and playing with friends in the neighborhood. If they don’t have a ticket to “buy” these privileges, then they do not get to do them. They only get paid for extra, designated chores, and only if their other core chores are done first. The cut off time for getting any set of chores done and earning a ticket is based around meal, school, and family devotion times.
Blessings!
-Miranda
June 21, 2012 at 3:11 am
Sue
Participant
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.
June 21, 2012 at 3:20 am
Tristan
Participant
My oldest was 10 when we started those specifically. She was a bit ‘underwhelmed’ at first. I simply made her rule different than her sibilings. For her, she had to wear/use the chorepack for 3 weeks. Then if she could show me she knew what to do and didn’t skip anything she was welcome to leave the chorepack on her dresser until chores were done each day and drop it on my desk when done. She didn’t have to wear/carry it. The catch being if she skips a chore on goes the chorepack for 3 days.
She quickly moved to not needing it. However, one of my younger children I can see needing the chorepack for much longer than big sis. She is easily distracted/off in her own little world. The chorepack is a great reminder of what she’s supposed to be doing as it bumps her (we hang it from her sleeve for a better bother/bumping).
June 21, 2012 at 5:04 am
Kristen
Participant
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.
June 21, 2012 at 11:18 am
Monica
Participant
“If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10
June 21, 2012 at 2:32 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
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
June 22, 2012 at 3:40 am
Carmen
Participant
Thanks everyone. Very good suggestions. Yes, food is definitely good motivation to my dd.