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Marble Chore Chart for Kids

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We’ve all been there: the house is a mess, you’re at the end of your rope, the children won’t stop needing, and you want to change your name from “Mommy” to something they cannot pronounce just so they have a harder time trying to get your attention.

You’ve stepped in a puddle of someone’s pee. The kids? The Dog? The cat? The gremlin you swear tears through your house when your back is turned?  You’ll never know because nobody ever fesses up, and you- the lucky one- still gets to clean it up. Dinner needs made, the laundry has grown arms and stinks like your ex-husbands filthy butt. The dishes pile up like the Leaning Tower of Pisa threatening a collapse.  You wonder why it smells like petrified cheese and you realize- it’s just you that smells. Your yoga pants that have never seen a day of yoga are so dirty they could walk off your body and start stripping for money on the street corner.

Parenting is overwhelming. Parenting is hard. 

Then one day you realize you need help, and you look at your children and realize they are of the age to start helping you out. Where do you go from there? A few weeks ago I was in that very same boat, so I petitioned some of my Mom friends for advice. I took what I knew I could use- like paying them in marbles instead of money. and created the below Marble Chore Chart.  Kids like instant gratification, and since my kids still aren’t responsible enough with their money to earn it every week and not lose it down some black vortex, marbles were the way to go. Using marbles is also a great tool to use if you live on a strict household budget and can’t shell out money every week for “Allowance”.

marble chore chart

As you can see, the only real investment you put into the marble chore chart is the cost of poster board and markers. You then need to purchase marbles, but I chose the thrifty route and bought some of those glass stones sold at dollar stores. I found some old Ball Jars, one for each child, and this is where they keep the marbles they have earned every day.

I found that giving them options is important. You don’t want to make a marble chart and tell them they have to do all the chores on the chart. As you can see, some of the bigger jobs I gave my children do alternate on a daily basis. I also threw in some easy “extras” as yet another way for my kids to earn marbles.

 A minimum amount of marbles needs to be earned on a daily basis for important things (to them) like playing on electronics and watching TV at bedtime. If they don’t earn the marbles by doing the minimum, then they don’t earn the activity. Saving their marbles is just as important, since they get to earn actual things when they reach a certain amount in their marble jar.

This chart is completely interchangeable to your child’s needs and abilities. You could also add a spot on the chart where marbles are taken away when certain unfavorable behaviors are exhibited. In the end, you know your child (or children) best, so do what you know is right for them.

My kids may not look forward to doing their chores everyday, but they feel so accomplished and proud of themselves when they sit down every night before bed to count out all the marbles they have earned. This Marble Chart has worked wonders for my household, and I certainly hope it does the same for yours.

Moms: You Rock. Just remember that!

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