Life Skills

Life seems to have been really busy lately.  We have times when we're on a roll and things are going smoothly... and then something happens and gets us off track again.  One of the things I have been working on is motivating Nate to help out around the house.  Some chores he does on a daily basis and others are done on what I like to call Life Skills Days.  Maybe once a month or so we will have an LSD and in lieu of our usual school day we will clean house together and he will work on jobs that he needs instruction or assistance with.  

A few of the skills we have been working on lately are: wiping down surfaces with cleaning wipes, scrubbing the toilets, sweeping the kitchen floor, collecting the laundry, taking care of toys, putting clean laundry away, emptying the dishwasher, dusting, wiping doorknobs and banister, wiping down kitchen chairs, etc.  

I have found some really great lists of age appropriate chores and chore chart ideas on Pinterest.  While I have tried some cute and clever chore charts we are currently using a really basic method of rewarding his chores.  We have Dollar Store charts that he fills in the boxes w/ smiley faces whenever he completes a job.  When he fills the whole chart he can choose from a prize in the prize box (mostly Dollar Store stuff) or $3 cash.  Its not fancy, but for now it works.

While he has times when he is resistant, Nate is growing up and taking on new responsibilities rather well.  He is full of a constant stream of curious questions that sometimes drive me completely batty, but if it came down to it I would not wish that he lose his inquisitive nature.  Just maybe put it on pause once in awhile.  ;-)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”  -  Ephesians 6:1-3