Getting Organized - Magnetic Chore Chart

One thing I am sure many parents would like to achieve in their home is a sense of order and responsibility. How does the saying go - idle hands are the devil's playground? I know when my 3 yr old doesn't have something constructive to do is when she gets into the most trouble. So to prepare the family for Mommy taking on the official role of "teacher" I needed to set my foot down and lay the ground rules. I have been telling Erin for a few weeks now that she is going to have "jobs" she will need to do to help around the house. Being the crafty person I am (and knowing my child is highly visual) I decided to make a pretty magnetic chore chart. Below I will show you the before and after pictures and tell you how I made mine. Since Erin is young her jobs consist of simple things like listening, cleaning up, and taking a bath. She gets a jewel next to each chore she completes and at the end of the day each jewel on the board is worth one jewel for her rewards jar. Then every jewel she saves can be redeemed for different rewards - i.e.- 20 a day at the park, 50 jewels we go out to Chick fil a, 75 jewels she can pick a new toy, or  100 jewels she gets a night out alone with Mommy/Daddy. You can obviously tailor your chores and rewards to what your child needs. Here is how I made mine!

Tools:

Sheet Metal
Contact Paper
Self Adhesive Vinyl Paper
Self Adhesive Magnets
Pattered Cloth
Ribbon
Scrapbook Materials
Decorative Stones and Jewels
Foam Board
Frame

First I found a piece of sheet metal that I thought would fit my list of chores. Then I went hunting for a frame. The sheet I used was 11X18 so I had to look for a custom sized frame. I was able to find one just a smidge too big on clearance for 90% off at hobby lobby! Then I cut the foam board to the size of the inner frame and wrapped it in my chosen fabric, hot gluing the edges to the back. It was a quick fix for the fact that the sheet metal was slightly smaller than the frame and added a pretty border. Then I cut out the letters I needed for my chores from the vinyl paper and adhered them to the metal. Next, I hot glued the sheet metal to the covered foam board and lined the edges with the ribbon. I glued the magnets to the backs of the stones to make the decorative magnets and covered all the more flimsy paper pieces with the contact paper before turning them into magnets. Stuck all the magnets on and Walla! A functional and eye appealing chore chart!

I hope this inspires you to round up the kiddos and get them organized. I have seen an amazing change in my children in their their attitudes towards doing things when they know there is compensation! Once my kids get a little older we will up the chores and reward with money to teach management skills. For now learning about hard work and saving has started to pay off!