Chore Sticks { Find the Fun }

Kids doing chores is a “practice” as old as the mountains. Over and above the fact that they’re helping you to keep a tidier house, doing chores teaches kids to be responsible and do their bit. But very few kids actually enjoy chores, so it’s up to us to make it fun! Enter: chore sticks.

Chore sticks are basically ice cream sticks with tasks written on them – a simple enough concept that’s been taking the internet by storm. The idea is to introduce an element of randomness into the chore routine, and keep it fun. Here are a few ideas and ways to implement them in your home:

• Instead of assigning each child a chore or three that they have to do week after week, shake things up by allowing them to draw chore sticks.
• If ever your kids complain about something in the house that isn’t to their liking, ask them to write it on a chore stick.
• Chore sticks can be a way of earning extra pocket money. Once their daily standard chores are done, allow your kids to draw chore sticks with occasional tasks like “wash car” written on it – each worth a certain amount of money.
• Even the little ones can get involved from an early age! Paint the sticks different colours with each colour indicating a different “age group” or child. That way you can keep it random, but still assign tasks that are age-appropriate.
• At the end of the day, remember you can’t make a chore stick without first having that ice cream! This means that adding chores to the stick jar becomes even more of a treat.

Tip: Add at the end of the stick or on the opposite side of the stick what they earn by doing the chore e.g. 10 minutes screen time, R10 pocket money, etc.

Here are some example chores to add to your sticks to help you get started:

• Pack / Unpack Dishwasher
• Tidy room
• Do Homework
• Read a chapter of a book
• Vacuum Room / Lounge
• Brush teeth
• Sweep kitchen, garage or other room
• Water garden and / or plants in the house
• Throw ball for the dog
• Take out the garbage
• Make your bed
• Set table

Original images and their credits available on Pinterest