School holidays are almost over and we are facing the start of the year again. If we have school-aged children, it is a good idea to get the kids back into a routine fairly fast and insist on them doing some regular chores.

school kids with lots of bright colour bags and clothes

Getting organised before going to school

For children that go to school, I think we can easily expect them to:

Unpack their back when getting home (this prevents science projects from developing).
Putting their shoes back on their spot.
Starting their homework or placing it on the homework spot.

This makes for less frantic mornings and a clear sense of their particular jobs at a certain time of day.

What tasks can they do and how do you track it?

Of course, most children can do a few more tasks than the above-mentioned. A nice thing to do with kids is to have visual reminders of their tasks. We have made some laminated cards that the children coloured in themselves, which cover things like; eating, getting dressed for school, and tidying toys up. Besides the less desirable jobs, they of course also have some cards for fun things like; playing and art time. I placed magnets on the back of the cards so they can decide the order of events on most days (in consultation with me) and feel a sense of ownership about their day and the tasks they have to perform. The magnets are also nice as you can move items around. It shows less appealing tasks first, with rewards like playing time after. It also shows, that tidying up, is a normal part of their day (as it should be).

Keep organised and tidy after the school day

Lastly, at the end of most days, we run around for a few minutes and try to beat the timer when cleaning up the living room (famously coined a “room rescue” by Flylady). Getting kids to participate and own their chores, is very important. This time of year is a great time to remember or implement these rules.

Note: part of this article was originally an Illawarra mercury article updated and refreshed in 2023