Working together

A family is a team and one thing a team does is work together for the good of everyone that's a part of it.  All families, big and small, benefit from working together and taking a responsible role in the family. It helps in managing the daily routines that can veer us off course when neglected.

Enter...chores!
(I know your wondering how on earth this will draw your family closer...)

But the truth is that when we work together there is more time to spend enjoying 
the moments we're given.

I'm no expert in this area because I am more of a doer than a manager. Sometimes I find it easier to do it myself than send one of the kids, have to check up on them, send them to do it better, deal with the whining and so on and so forth! On the other hand, my husband is a great delegator and he's proven to me how this is a much better way and is worth the time in training.

Something we started doing quite a while ago, was to give each child their area of authority.  That means whoever is in authority of the room, leads the others and gives out assignments to get everything done.

If something isn't done right, as the manager of that area, they will be held responsible for it. This helps keep them more accountable and making sure everyone is doing their job and doing it correctly.
We gave the older kids the most used areas and the ones with the most work because they can handle more and the younger ones the areas that aren't as difficult to maintain.

The results? Great!!!

I love it because we can accomplish so much in so little time, it teaches the kids how to submit to authority, and how to work together while serving joyfully.  ;)

With that said, it isn't perfect, but then again nothing is.  Sometimes the kids don't like to submit to each other and arguments erupt. There is never a shortage of reasons but as these things come up, we're able to deal with the problem and get to the heart of the issue.

Since we've been doing it for quite a while, they have gotten more efficient on the chores and used to working together.  I love that it teaches them leadership skills and they have learned to manage their areas better.

Working together can be fun.

We give them incentives from time to time depending on the size of the task at hand.  For example, in a certain time frame if they accomplish the job, we'll take them out for ice cream. One summer, the reward was a spontaneous trip to the beach.  

Usually the reward is something cheap but fun or yummy!

Another way to make it fun is to divide them up in teams and give them each a room to work in. The one who's room looks better wins. The reward bragging rights:)

This was a fun one! The teams were boy vs. girls and they went above and beyond by not only cleaning up but also adding decor to the room. They brought out table runners, candles, and anything they could find to spice up their room. What can I say they're competitive!

Chores don't have to be boring but they do have to get done. So get the kids involved in working together because we can do more together than apart.

How do you involve the family in helping out at home?