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For families with 3- to 18-years-old
Help in a Can
Tired of hearing excuses when you need
a little extra help around the house? Here's how to get some help with household chores with less arm-twisting and whining. Explain to your family that "Help in a Can" will be a fair way for each member of the family to be chosen when a little extra help is needed around the house.
1. Here's what you need before a meal or family talk time: • Print and cut apart the Bible verses found directly below. • Find an empty coffee can (or similar container) you can clean up. • Finally, have on hand four times as many index cardsor small slips of paper as there are people in your family. * * * * * * * * * * * * HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARDS Print out and cut apart. * * * * * * * * * * * *
2. So much for prep. After your next family meal, or at your next family time, decorate the can. Keep it simple and fun—contact paper or gift wrap will work just fine. Glue, sequins, glitter, etc., can liven up the can even more. If you really want to personalize it, hot glue some objects onto the can that represent family members. Make sure everyone gets a chance to add some decoration of their own, so that each feels a part of the activity.
3. When the can is decorated, explain that the can will be an important tool in sharing household chores. Talk about how each person has to do their part to help things run smoothly around the house. Brainstorm with your family ways they could be helpful. The chores should be appropriate to each child's age and ability. (For example: most seven-year-olds can take the towels from the dryer and fold them…most five-year- olds can wipe off the kitchen table…most eleven-year-olds can do the dishes.) Review the ideas with your family. Discard any that are unsafe or unrealistic.
4. Now about those Bible verses you printed off and cut apart: select as many Bible verse slips as there are family members, and hand them out to people, one slip per person.
5. One at a time, have each person read their Bible verse aloud, and talk together about it for a minute or two—particularly, how it applies to families and household work.
6. Now have everyone write their name on the back of their verse, and put it in the can.
7. Now hand out the four blank cards or slips of paper per person, and have everyone write their names on each of their four. At this point, each person should have five cards or slips in the can with their name on it, one of those cards also having a Bible verse on it.
Now you're set: during the next week or two, whenever you need some help around the house, dip into the can, pull out a name, and ask that person for the help you need. If there's a Bible verse on the slip, spend a moment right where you are to read the verse together and remind each other why it's appropriate for your child to help with the chore. After pulling a slip out of the can, set that slip aside (maybe in an envelope) so each family member will be chosen an equal number of times. When the can is empty, at your next family meal pass out new Bible verse slips, and replace the name-only slips.
Chore Contract
Make it official with a written chore contract
between you and your child A "chore contract" is perfect for an on-going chore or a large or many-faceted one-time job—among other reasons, to acquaint kids with the working world.
During a family meeting talk with your child about his responsibilities around the house. Explain that in the working world there are contracts that specifically outline jobs that are expected to be done. When a task (or tasks) is settled upon, write up a contract like the one below, which you can fill out with your child. You may want to negotiate a payoff with a special privilege once the contract is fulfilled.
CHORE CONTRACT
Chore description:
Date/time to be completed:
this without being reminded.
I, ______________________________, agree to complete
name of child/parent
the above task. I will do |
Pick a Job, Any Job
Which job will you pick?
Add the element of surprise to chore assignments around your house. Write each job on a slip of paper, then put all the slips in a box (or hat, jar, bowl, etc). Ask each family member to dip in and, without looking, choose a job out of the box. The job they end up with may or may not be one they like, but the chances of getting the same job next week are pretty slim—and that's the fun of it. No one is telling them to do the chore—it's just the luck of the draw. If younger children are part of the mix, their simpler chores should be kept in a separate container.
Chore Rebus
For nonreaders only—pictures of the chores to be done
Preschoolers have a tough time when it comes to job lists. So pictures instead of words! Talk with your prereader about what chores she feels comfortable doing. Look through magazines and cut out pictures that the child can associate with the tasks—maybe a picture of a toothbrush for brushing teeth, pictures of toys for picking up toys, or pictures of clothes for putting clothes in the dirty clothes hamper. Tape the "picture list" on their door, bathroom mirror, or other obvious place for the child to see each day. Explain to the child that each day she will start at the top of the chart and go down the pictures until he or she is finished.
You Pick It
For days when you want to do something a little different
Do you ever have one of those days when you wake up and want to do something a little different? Children get tired of doing the same chores all of the time. So on your next chore day, why not give your child a choice of the chores he might like to do just to be different. You can return to the regular routine later, or use this as a chance to change the chores around a bit.
Chore Change
If chores around your house are
getting a bit boring, maybe its time for a change Kids getting complainy about their same old chores? Maybe it's time for a change. This activity helps family members appreciate the work of others in the family, plus gets them a change of pace for a week. Give each family member a slip of paper or index card, and have them each write their name at the top, followed by their list of chores. Put all the slips into a box, then each family member draw out a name (other than their own) and assume the chores listed for the week. (Help out the younger children with the writing and reading, as well as with the actual chores if necessary.)
Mission Impossible
"Your chore assignment, if you choose to accept it..."
Give your family "Mission Impossible" team their weekly chores with a tape-recorded message. It may not self-destruct, but it's guaranteed to get your family's attention.
Pop Go the Chores
Put some fun into assigning chores
around your house with this fun balloon-popping activity
Write chores on slips of paper, then roll up the slips and insert each one into a balloon. Inflate the balloons, tie them off—and when it's time to assign the chores around your house, bat balloons to your family members. Each person sits or stomps on the balloon to find out what their chores will be for the week.
Chore Sticks
Here is a "sticky" way for young children
to choose their week's chores
Get five to ten popsicle sticks (or craft sticks or tongue depressors) and a tumbler-sized cup. Use a marker to write a chore on each stick—just make sure it's a chore that your young child can actually do. To make the sticks more colorful, your child can color the tips with different colored markers. Put the sticks in the cup—then when it's time to choose the weekly chores, ask your child to choose two or three sticks from the cup: the Chores of the Week!
Napkin Notice
Give notice of evening chores in a unique way
Evening chores abound—scraping dinner dishes, washing them or loading the dishwasher, sweeping the kitchen floor, packing the next day's lunches, folding laundry—the list goes on and on. Get some help. Before dinner, write one or two chores on paper napkins, then place a napkin at each person's place at the table. The chores written on the napkin will be that family member's chores for the evening.
Roll of the Dice
What chore will your roll give you? Brainstorm with your family a dozen household chores. Assign a number to each chore, from 1 to 12. Make a small chart with this information: 12 rows, the first row with 1 on the far left, the second row with 2, etc. Next to each number write the chore. Explain to everyone that at the start of a new week, each family member's chores are determined by rolling a pair of dice: the number a person rolls is that chore on the chart. Replace the chart's chores when needed.
Do What I Do
Are you sure your kids really know what
to do when you assign them a chore?
When you assign your child a chore, are you sure he actually understands what you mean? For many children, especially younger ones, telling a child what to do or how to do it is not enough. They must see how the task is done. Some examples:
• Before expecting your child to do a new task, let them first see you do it. Merely , telling a child "Put the dishes in the dishwasher" may or may not be enough information. Does your child know where the soap goes, where to put the plates, how to rinse off the silverware before sticking it in the dishwasher? Explain to the child as you show her how to do it. Next time, have her explain to you how to do the chore!
• Have fun while you're demonstrating: do it in slo-mo, and then speed up a little more each time you repeat the instruction. Fold a towel or a sheet in slow motion and then speed up for the next one. Let your child try.
• Do the chore wrong. Set dinnerware and cups in the wrong place on the table, and subtly prompt the child to correct you.
• Ask an older child to coach his younger sibling in a new chore. That chore could then be handed off to the younger child when he or she is trained.
Want Ads
Post an in-house classified ad for a special worker Is your garage a mess? Your attic a disaster? Post a classified ad on your refrigerator asking for some help!
Briefly describe the chore you want done and any time restrictions or deadlines. (After all, you don't want the attic cleanup to go on for weeks.) Be clear about the pay for doing the chore: will the completion of this chore earn them money, a special treat, or a parental pat on the back? Be sure to include how the applicants should get in touch with you.
Deck of Chores
Who knows what chores you'll draw from the deck this time?
This is a great activity for older children, because of the suspense: no one knows who will have what chores. Prepare a custom deck of index cards: with a dark marker, write one chore per card. Shuffle the cards. Each family member draws three cards (or whatever your family decides) to determine their chores for the week. Next week, shuffle the deck and repeat. HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. (Ecclesiastes 3:13)
| HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD Jesus said, "If your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you." (John 13:14-15) | HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know that he will reward you. (Colossians 3:23-24) | HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!" (Mark 9:35) | HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
| HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD Jesus said, "You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. But don't act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. And if you want to be first, you must be everyone's slave." (Mark 10:42-44)
| HELP IN A CAN BIBLE CARD My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. (Galatians 5:13) | |
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