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So the girls helped me make up these little popsicle sticks with blue, green, and red tips (one color for each big girl). On each stick, I wrote one job that they need to do before getting started with our day and before going to bed at night. Here are Emma's:
Once the popsicle sticks are all finished, the girls will put them colored tip UP in the glass, and then they are free to do other things (like color or go outside in the morning, or play a game of hide and seek with Mommy and Daddy at night).
I am beginning to add other jobs to the list.. Like "change loads" (of laundry) and "ez-vac the kitchen." They let me know the jobs they hate (like tidying the basement) and sometimes I give all of them the same job so that they can work together. Sometimes I'll give them "tidying the basement" and it will be mostly done and they'll get the satisfaction of last night's effort (and realize that they can stop making work for themselves if they just keep it clean!)
I would say that it's been about a year since I started this. It has phased in and out a few times, but is very simple to start up again (even when we slack off for a while).. I drew pictures on them so that the 3 year old can "read" her own. It makes for a much smoother morning, that's for sure.
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Of all the child-rearing tricks of the trade I have picked up, this one is the clear winner:
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It is child-led (because they can figure out on their own what they are to do).
It is NOT consumable (I've used the same sticks for a year).
It is NOT complicated (the hardest part was BUYING the sticks).
It is Flexible (I can change jobs whenever I want--no body gets "cleaning out the dishwasher" if it is dirty! And I can make new sticks for Leah when she's a bit bigger!)
It is NOT subjective--or at least it's harder for the child to see that it is (if the jobs are done and the colored sticks are up, you can play! It's hard for a child to have a power struggle with wooden sticks, though they may try).
It is CHEAP!
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So that's what works for me. What works for you?
My kids don't have a power struggle with wooden sticks, instead they wage war against some cardboard.
ReplyDeleteI was writing a comment for you and it got so long, I just did a blog post instead.
I like your popsicle stick idea ove turning them over when they're done. I think my kids might like the finality of that--something tangible you can do to SHOW you are done.
I can't believe I spelled -of- "ove". I must have been leaping ahead to the word "over". I think my brain is getting more scrambled the older I get.
ReplyDeleteYes Sara, I concur with your assesment of scrambled brain.
ReplyDeleteI love that if you do it often enough right when you first introduce it you can just tell the kids to flip sticks and they just go and do it with a happy heart, even if I didn't tell them to flip sticks the previous five days! Also, I call them tasks and not chores, that word holds such negative connotation, so I changed it. I bet my kids call them chores when all is said and done, but for now it is all about getting through the day happily, and so far they haven't complained one bit!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, you need to update your prayers...(Yes, I know, I am so bossy!)
Finally getting around to posting a comment here! Thanks to you, Sadie and Genny we are now "doing the sticks" too! They are going very well and we are also more often not calling them CHORES because then it seems more of a fight, when it's "flipping sticks" it's so much more fun! Thanks to all of you ladies for the idea!
ReplyDeleteThe sticks have worked great at our house too! I love them! I told you I tried switching Creighton to a chart...yeah...we're going back to the sticks! It is seriously the only thing I've found that works! And like you said--it's cheap!
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