Today I have fun little project for you all.  At our house we decided that it was about time for my children to start having a few responsibilities that they are held accountable for.  To them everything is a race to be first done and like most children they are more likely to follow through if there is a reward.  They are constantly asking and begging and whining for new toys, so we decided that it was time for a chore chart where they could start earning a little money.  And I say “money” loosely because I really do mean, a “little”, amount of money.  But we also wanted to start instilling in them the importance of being wise with our money and saving money and giving money.

The other day I was reading a new blog I discovered the other day, the Winthrop Chronicles, and was inspired by a chore chart she had made for her kiddos.  And so I gathered together a few materials and got to work.  You will need jars (I bought a flat of jars at Walmart for around $8), chalkboard paint (not necessary, just a fun addition), painters tape, pipe clamps (found in your local hardware store in the plumbing section), boards, metal clip, several small nails and I used a few trusty 3M strips to hang these bad boys.

I decided the easiest way to label each jar was to paint a small strip of chalkboard paint on each jar.  You could also paint on your board if you wanted.  If you are painting on the jars, use your painter’s tape to block off a small stripe around the jar.

Then pull out that handy dandy chalkboard paint and spray that empty space between your 2 pieces of painters tape. Be careful to not spray the top of bottom of the jar, however if you like me can tend to be a little messy, I have to say that once the paint dries it scratches right off.

I’m sure there are many ways to attach the clamps to the wood, but I just hammered a small nail through one of the slats. Now just a quick little tip, its much easier to hammer the nail in, if you open the clamp all the way up.

Once all three clamps are attached where you want them go and grab your jars.  Now I positioned the 3 jars on one side leaving room for the metal clip and the list of chores on the other side, but you can arrange it however you want.

Place the jars in the clamps where you want them to rest and then grab your trusty screw driver to tighten the clamp.  Now I have to say that, I had not thought to use a screw driver at first and was just using my hand, but my oh so smart husband grabbed a screw driver to help me and it was SOO much easier.

Then I hammered in a small nail to hang the metal clip on, you could however hot glue the clip on as well.

And there you have it. Your chore charts are ready to go. I wrote each child’s name on a sheet of paper and we will list out each chore the child is responsible for.
Since my kiddos are still very young we are starting very simple. They will have 4 chores/tasks to complete each day and for each task they complete they will get a penny. They will get to keep 2 pennies, one penny will go in the give jar and one in the save jar. The idea is not to make lots of money, but to instill good habits.

And that’s it. My kiddos are so excited to start doing chores and I guess that’s what its all about right, to get them excited and learning good habits!

Lindsey

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