New schedules

Wall schedules with our daily routine

I've been busy the past few days working on new schedules for the school year. This includes new chores for everyone and slightly changing our school schedule from last year. I've decided I'm the eternal optimist. Every year I work on developing a schedule that will transform our lives...the schedule that will create children who are happy and cheerful in doing their chores and who do them everyday without being reminded. Since I am making a new schedule for this year, you'll know that this has yet to happen. But, on the other hand, every year I have new insight into what things will help the year go more smoothly. This year, I'm leaving nothing to chance. Everyone has everything explicitly written out: when chores are to occur, how they are to be done, and what schoolwork should be accomplished. I have also made myself a list of what I need to do and when. I've given up trying to keep everything straight. I either end up forgetting something or I just can't think of what I should be doing next. I have also learned that if I don't check that what I've asked to be done is actually done and done well, it isn't going to happen. With all this in mind, I've created job folders for the older, reading children and job cards for the non-readers. We'll see how it all works.

These are the fronts of the folders. I have attached a list to each one of the schoolwork that needs to be done each day.

The inside lists a schedule of what happens each day, including when the child is to do certain chores. On the left side is the list of weekly cleaning jobs that are assigned to that child.

On the back is a pocket which holds cards that have instructions written on them for each job. No longer can a child say to me that he or she didn't know it was supposed to be done that way.

These are the rings cards I made for TM and D. They are very specific lists of what each boy needs to do with a place to check off when it is done. There are dry erase markers included in the storage pocket to do this. The last item of the day is to prepare the cards for the next morning. The older children will get to keep their folders in their rooms, but these will live in the hallway where I can keep an eye on them.


This is my folder. On the right is the daily schedule and lists what I need to do or check and when. On the left are schedules specific to days of the week. Each afternoon is completely different around here with various combinations of people going to a variety of different places. Plus, I designate to each day of the week a certain job. (For instance, one day for grocery shopping, another day for sewing and mending, and so on.) This way I get to each major group of jobs and I don't have to feel guilty for not doing all of them all the time.

And finally, one last picture for those of you who made it this far. A completely gratuitous picture of two cute babies:

L. on left and G. on right