As a parent, getting your kids to regularly help out with household chores can feel like an uphill battle. Choice boards offer an interactive solution to make chore time more engaging and rewarding for young learners. By providing chore options tailored to your child’s interests and abilities, choice boards make contributing to family life fun.
What Are Choice Boards?
A choice board is a grid that lays out different options for students to choose from. The options all relate to a central theme or learning objective. To apply choice boards to chores, simply create a board filled with age-appropriate chores your child gets to pick from. You can make digital or paper choice boards using templates found online.
Choice Boards Work Well for Chores Because:
- Kids feel ownership over chores they choose
- Caters to different interests and skills
- Adds variety to chores
- Clear structure with expectations
- Makes chore time more game-like
Benefits for Kids & Parents
For kids, choice boards:
- Increase motivation and willingness to contribute
- Teach responsibility and initiative
- Build confidence and independence
- Allow them to challenge themselves
- Develop useful life skills
- Offer flexibility in showing responsibility
For parents, choice boards:
- Provide an organized system for chores
- Spread chore responsibility among siblings
- Establish expectations and routine
- Teach children how to effectively manage a schedule
- Require less nagging/reminding about chores
- Instill the value of being a helpful family member
Creating a Chore Choice Board
- Consider chores suitable for your child’s age and skills
- Include a balance of individual and collaborative chores
- Add varying degrees of difficulty so kids can challenge themselves
- Incorporate chores tied to your child’s interests when possible
- Allow choices but also assign some required squares
- Set expectations for number of squares/chores to complete
- Establish when choice board chores should be completed by
Sample Chore Choice Board for Elementary-Aged Kids:
Sample instructions for your kids: complete 4 squares this week. Return by Friday.
- Sweep porch & sidewalks
- Pair socks from laundryPile towels neatly in bathroom after drying
- Wash family car
- Help make dinner recipe
- Fold laundry with parent
- Take out garbage & recycling
- Pick up toys/books around house
- Feed pets for a week
- Dust furniture in living room
- Water plants around the house
- Set and clear table each night
- Wipe down kitchen counters
- Load dishwasher after meals
- Put away clean dishes from dishwasher
- Clean bathroom sink and mirror
- Make your bed each morning
- Sweep kitchen floor
- Take out clean laundry from dryer
- Organize bookshelf/drawers
- Put groceries away after shopping
Using choice boards provides a win-win for getting chores done with less stress. Kids learn responsibility while gaining ownership over tasks. Choice boards transform chore time into quality family bonding with lifelong benefits.