Chores 'Round Here - The Teen Schedule

*Be sure to scroll down to see what other fabulous bloggers are chatting about scheduling and link up your post! It doesn't have to be a new post - if you have wisdom, please share!

It can be difficult to find a chore schedule that works for you family - I know, it's been a challenge for us. It was especially difficult when we were all cramped in a tiny house, tripping over one another and a surplus of all our stuff!

At the risk of jinxing myself, I'm happy to tell you that we've finally found a schedule that works for us! And I'm going to share it with you today. Our schedule involves individual chores that each boy must do every week, plus a group of chores that the boys alternate each week. It sounds confusing - but it's really not.

This has worked much better for us than schedules in the past because with 3 teenage boys (and one toddler boy) in the house there's a lot of testosterone floating around here. With this schedule, the boys must work together to be sure the house runs smoothly, but they aren't working together on individual chores. Doing that often created strife because they are all so different - one gets everything done early, one gets everything done last minute and another only gets everything done (very slowly I might add) if you crack the whip. There are plenty of other opportunities we use to teach them to work together nicely without chores.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. - Proverbs 27:17

Rotating Chores:

Dish Boy: Does dishes after meals, Sets and clears the table, Gets drinks for meals

Dog Boy: Walks dogs, Pooper-scooper, sweeps and mops utility room once a week (room where dogs eat and enter/exit on walks)

House boy: Cat litter boxes, Vacuums one downstairs room a day, Takes out trash

The boys rotate these chores each week, right now Fox is Dish Boy, Billy Dog Boy and Tony House Boy. On Saturday afternoon they rotate - in alphabetical order, dish, dog, house - so there is no confusion. In addition to their rotating chores they have their individual chores. In our new house, we are thankful each boy has his own room. We also have three bathrooms - Tony and Billy share one, Fox and Bram share one and then there is the master bath.

Individual Chores:

Tony:
~Monday -Laundry (his clothes and bed sheets)
~Friday - Bathroom Scrubber

Fox:
~Tuesday - Laundry (his clothes and bed sheets)
~Friday - Bathroom Scrubber

Billy:
~Tuesday - Bathroom Scrubber
~Wednesday - Laundry (his clothes and bed sheets)

For just as we have in one body many members, but the members do not all have
the same function, so we, although many, are one body in union with Christ, but
members belonging individually to one another. - Romans 12:4,5

This has been working for us, hallelujah! Well, this and keeping copies of the schedule taped up where they are easy to see. I am so thankful to have our chores Well Ordered. What works for you?


Be sure to check out all the ladies chatting up scheduling from all angles and join the conversation!


Dana at A Slob Comes Clean - When Life Happens and Your Schedule Stops Working
Amy at Raising Arrows - How You Spend Your Time Matters
Maureen at Spell Outloud - Do Toddlers and Well Ordered Days Mix?
Kris at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers - Scheduling Time With Your Husband
Jimmie at Jimmie's Collage - Meal Planning for Well Ordered Days
Angie at Many Little Blessings - Time for Creative Endeavors
Rachel at Finding Joy - The flexible schedule, it's posible
Cindy at Get Along Home - How I Stopped Dithering and Learned to Love the Schedule
Lacy at Catholic Icing - Creating a Schedule Your Family Can Thrive On