Chore Jar for Kids

I came across this idea on Fabulously Frugal. The can that she made is cuter than mine, but the idea is the same. (I was trying to be frugal!) On each stick is written a chore, but not the kids normal chores. Each of my kids have morning chores to complete every day, which are clearing and wiping the table, sweeping, and picking up the toys and shoes in the kitchen and living room. In the jar are extra chores that aren't regularly done, many of them are more in the "deep cleaning" category. See the picture below for a sample. The reason for the tape on one side is genius! Once a chore has been done, the stick is put in, tape side down, to signify that is has been done recently. Once all the sticks are tape side down, I will just turn them all right side up and we will start again.

How am I using this jar? Well, whenever my kids are disrespectful, fighting with each other, or just complaining, their consequence is to do a chore out of the jar. I have been surprised that they actually like doing them! (I know it's probably the honeymoon phase.) Today, they were outside playing and just kept fighting with each other until I couldn't take it anymore. I made them all come inside and pick a chore. Caleb picked "wash the garbage can", Rebekah picked the "bathroom mirrors", and Joshua picked "wash the door into the garage". They actually cheerfully did their chore. Matthew was jealous, so I had to go get him a rag too, and he helped Joshua. Once they were done with the door, they moved on to the front door, the stair railing, and the closet doors just for fun! Rebekah did about 5 extra chores because she was having fun too! To reward them, we made brownies, yum!

How did I keep this frugal? I went to Dollar Tree to buy the sticks, but they only had the small ones. A bit disappointing, but they will work. Then, instead of spending money on cute washi tape, I just bought a roll of colored duct tape, also from Dollar Tree. Lastly, I used a cleaned out peanut butter jar instead of a can, just because that's what I had. I just wrapped it with the tape so they can't see through it. Please check out Fabulously Frugal's site to see her can and how she uses hers.