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I woke up the first day of summer this year to one of my sons playing on his iPad. I said “Hey, I thought we were going to start off summer right with our chores?” and he said, “Already done, check out my bucket.”. Whoa!! They still work!
Last year I made these buckets the day before school was out and we used them most of the summer. They are a great visual reminder to the kids of what they need to do before we start our lazy summer day. I put them away during the school year. We don’t do morning chores during the school year since we wake at 6:15 for the school bus at 6:50. That is way to early for me to even try to have them do chores as I can barely get myself out of bed much less them. 😉 I am so glad I remembered the buckets this summer.
I am just about the least crafty person you know. These things are so easy that even I can do it. I think the kids like to move the clothes pin off the sides and plop them into the bucket to show they are done. It is a satisfying sound to hear the pins hit the bottom of the bucket.
They have 3 chores that are mandatory every day:
- brush teeth
- brush hair
- make bed
For the boys, I always add one chore plus one educational project, these vary between the following:
- clean up room
- vacuum downstairs
- clean one room of baseboards with Magic Eraser
- one page from cursive handwriting book
- one math worksheet
- 10 mins of math game on ipad
- dust a room
For Britton I have an easy chore such as:
- line up shoes at garage door
- clean up room
- put books back on bookshelf
Here are your supplies:
- Bucket – I bought ours at the Dollar Tree but here is a cute one if you don’t want to head to a store. Painted Bucket
- Clothes Pins – once again at the Dollar Tree or craft store but here is a link.
- Sharpie – Use a thin tip on the clothes pins.
Theresa says
What a fun, creative way to get kids to do their chores! My kids have to brush their teeth, and it doesn’t count as a chore. Brushing hair, though, that’s a major chore to them!
Carolyn says
One of my kids likes to keep his hair brushed and to the other 2 it is torture. 🙂 I have to double check the teeth brushing, mine try to skip it. 🙂
Lora says
This is a cool idea! It’s simple and affordable and I know my son would LOVE dropping the pins in the bucket when he was finished.
Greta says
Such a creative idea and so easy to make!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Carolyn says
Thanks! I am all about easy. 🙂
Gurk @ The Women Talk says
What a fun way for kids to get the chores done!
Terri Steffes says
Clever idea. Anything that helps keep track of chores is a good thing. I love the clothespins, it helps with a child’s pinching grip. Good job!
Rebecca Bryant says
This is going to be awesome. i can use this to help keep kids organized this school year.
Carolyn says
Great idea. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
DANI CC says
These are amazing. Think we are going to make these but to keep track of our blog tasks. Thanks for the idea!
Rese says
Great idea to use the buckets. I actually used clothes pins a couple of years ago with tasks written on them as well. This actually works really well.
Carolyn says
Great minds think alike. I never thought a bag of clothes pins would be so great.
Amber Nelson says
This is just what I was looking for! I need this for my kids!
Eva / Kid Minds says
What a creative idea for getting these chores done. My kids are pretty good about doing their chores. They derive a great sense of accomplishment from crossing things from their To do list. (I think they are taking after mommy. lol)
Paula says
This is such a great idea! We have used a morning checklist in the past, but I think there would be something so satisfying about dropping the clothespins in the bucket!
Reesa Lewandowski says
I am loving how cute these chore buckets are! So fun, maybe it will make the kids want to do their chores LOL!
Ron@MichiganHousesOnline says
Great idea. Might become a good start for my kids to start cleaning up 🙂
christina aliperti says
I am going to make these for my nieces. I am sure they will get more excited about doing their chores and their mom and dad will be happy too.
Debra says
What a fun way to do a chore chart! We do something similar, but with a door hanger on their door. It works great!
Terryn Winfield says
What a fabulous idea! I have 6 kids and am always looking for creative ways to present their daily chores. I have never done anything like this, thank you!
Whitney S says
I don’t have kids, but I think this is a great way to teach kids about doing chores and accountability. Such a great idea!
Sara Buckner says
This is such a good idea for getting your kids to do their chores! Chore lists are a thing of the past!
Cara (@StylishGeek) says
You make chores really fun! I wish I thought about this when I was training my daughter with chores. We used the stars chart…and it worked for a little bit, but yours is so much more fun to do!
Patty says
Really fantastic idea! I love how it is so simple!
Blessings,
Patty
Wen Schange says
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Carolyn says
Thank you so much for the kind words. I’ll keep working on good content.