Chores, Chores, Chores

How to handle chores? 

How do you involve your children without making it seem like a chore (or something you have to go behind them and do again)? 

I have not the answers, but we did create a system that currently seems to be working. 

First, we started with the list of chores that we wanted to do throughout the house (even the ones that might not have been done for YEARS--I see you cleaning the windows and blinds). Then, Chris and I split them into the categories of how often that chore needed to be done (daily, weekly, twice a month, and once a month). Finally, we put all the chores up on a whiteboard by each family members name and tried to dole the tasks out evenly. Each task got a box to check off equivalent to how often it needed done.

We are hoping that each Sunday, we could do a draft to change out daily and weekly chores and at the end of the month, we could do the same for twice and once a month chores. 

Oh, and now the children know what they have to do BEFORE they can ask to play video games...

*One final note, we did not make music practice or reading part of the chore list. We want the children to value these tasks without seeing them as part of a to-do list or a "chore."