Responsibility Charts

This was our first full week using the Melissa & Doug responsibility charts and things are going really well so far. Each child has seven daily responsibilities for which they can earn magnetic rewards for completing. We are tying the magnets to small treats throughout the week like chocolate or lollipops. Depending on how the week went there may be a bigger reward on the weekend like going to a restaurant, a special outing, or a new toy. We don't have any particular formula in mind, we're just figuring out what works as we go. We want to teach S&Z about household responsibilities and give them the opportunity to work on and be rewarded for progress on particular behavioral issues that may be hard for them. The charts will also be useful when we more explicitly introduce chores and allowance.

These charts are great because there are a bunch of different responsibilities / goals. For now both kids have five overlapping daily responsibilities: 1) make the bed, 2) brush teeth, 3) get ready for bed, 4) get dressed, and 5) pick up toys. These were selected because some of the tasks are easy for them, which will mean a giveaway reward. Other areas are more difficult, like getting ready for bed. The divergent categories are specific behavioral areas that need some improvement. For Zoe these include 'share' and 'stop whining'. For Silas we used the blank magnets to write in 'listening', and 'use your words'.

I have seen better compliance around the house as well as a significant behavioral improvement since we introduced the charts. That's a win-win for everyone! Both kids get really excited to pick out their magnets and they listen when we talk about areas they can work harder on the next day. We did the week in review last night so that we could specifically see what areas were easy for each of them, and what areas seemed to be more difficult throughout the week.