So summer is around the corner and I am SO EXCITED!
I am ready to sleep in some (no more 5:30 wake time--yay!), spending lots of time at the pool and enjoying more time with these boys of mine at home!
I have been thinking about all the fun we will have but also about how to instill a good work ethic in these boys, even during the summer. It seems like it was easier to teach the value of hard work in the olden days when life was more physically demanding and most people lived on a farm where the work never ended. I really want my boys to learn to work hard, but I am realizing that, that takes a lot of planning and work from me. Last year, I used this summer chore system and it worked great, but I am trying to revamp and change it up some. I am curious, what do you do to give your children opportunities to develop good work habits?
I would LOVE to hear your ideas!!
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3 comments:
To me, one of the really important things for my kids is reading. I always incorporate personal reading time into their "chores" kind of to show that chores can be enjoyable too.
For you younger boys, you might want to check out my website with reading suggestions, and fun, easy activities that are extensions for each book. It is: shannonsbooknook.com. If you enjoy the site, please share it with your friends. It is totally free--a service I provide because I think reading is such an important part of life!
You are so right to help you children to learn to work. Good luck with your summer charts.
I have just finished reading 3 steps to a strong family by Linda and Richard Eyre (you can get the e book for free on their website) I really liked their ideas on teaching their kids to work, but not just with jobs but setting goals and working towards them as well. They also had great ideas on holding them accountable for the things they do.
I'm a bit late to this conversation, but I'll add my two cents anyway. I think a lot and try new things with how to implement this as well. My kids are a bit younger (6-11), but can (and should!) still contribute a lot. We had great success last summer with a "stations" approach, where they rotated through three stations every morning: 30 minutes each of piano practice, reading/journaling/art and computer time. They of course loved the individual computer time, and that kept the "station" ideas going through the summer. I think I will tweak it this year to add a chore (still 2 weeks of school here in MA, so haven't started anything!). I also have great success with my kids by writing three chores on slips of paper and letting them choose. For some reason, they love this and have always taken it seriously. They also have simple daily jobs (make bed, tidy up, clear table, fold laundry). My 11 year-old daughter has started mowing the lawn for $5, and so far, so good. Each child has a night to make dinner (which they love also). I guess I don't have a "system" per se, so much as a mix of daily, weekly and more as-needed jobs. They still seem to enjoy working along side me. You definitely have to tweak to accommodate ages, behavior and vacations.
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