Rewarding Kids Responsibility Kit

My kids seemed sincere when they promised (well, more accurately, when I told them they had to) set the dinner table every weeknight and take out the trash every Sunday – but I still always feel like I am nagging them to fulfill those promises? The Rewarding Kids Responsibility Kit helps because it lets a piece of paper do the talking for me.

At the heart of the kit is a Family Job chart listing basic household chores including making lunches, helping with meals, watering plants, and feeding pets. Since the surface is erasable (it comes with its own markers and reusable stickers), assignments can be made by the day or the week and rotated frequently by anyone in the house (just be careful you you hand out the erasers to!). Better still, the chart shows kids all the niggling little tasks that it takes to run a household – something they usually fail to notice. The chart can be prominently posted on the wall or the refrigerator, and pointed to when the cries of “I forgot!” or “I can’t do that now, I have to do my homework!” become particularly obnoxious.

Along with the family chart comes an erasable chart for jobs that children can do on their own, such as brushing teeth and picking up toys, and blank charts that can be customized for your household. A booklet gives even more tools including cut-out cards that can be laminated and hung from hooks, lists to be posted inside of cabinets, and another section with list ideas for incentives and rewards. Though the plain typography is decidedly old-fashioned, the message that kids need to pitch in – and need to be reminded constantly – never goes out of date.