by Annie Farfum

Created on: January 19, 2009   Last Updated: October 06, 2010

One of the main benefits of home schooling is the opportunity it provides to use everything in our daily lives to teach our children. Shopping at the grocery store involves price shipping, and following a budget, which is a great math lesson. Running errands are like field trips, and should always include something to learn from.

Designating a specific time for the cleaning is also part of the scheduling experience children need. Public schools follow schedules, and you don't want to deprive your home schooled children the lessons learned by simply having scheduled events. Having schedules give our children that feeling of security. Knowing they can count on certain things to happen at certain times. Plus, it helps to teach them to be accountable.

Cleaning house can also become part of a learning experience by creating a chore chart, and a reward chart. Some of the chores can actually pay them money, where other chores might earn them stars or points that they can save up for other things shown on a separate chart.

This gives the children a choice, so they are more likely to do the job better. Even if you find that they never choose a particular chore, you will at least have free time while they are doing their chores, to do what it is they are not doing from the list. Eventually the house gets clean, and you are all cleaning at the same time, so no one is going unattended.

Below is an example:

Chore Chart:
Feed and water pets: 2 stars
Vacuum living room: $0.50
Loading dishwasher: $0.50 plus 1 star
Unloading dishwasher: $0.25 plus 2 stars
Picking up living room: 4 stars

Star Chart
10 - Stars = 1 ice cream cone
20 - Stars = 1 new book
30 - Stars = Go to a movie
40 - Stars = 1 $10 toy of your choice

You can put anything on the chart that you want. It can include outside chores so they get plenty of sunshine and fresh air. So they don't become board with the chores, change them seasonally. So they have things they look forward to doing in the summer, or in the winter. Every couple of months you can add something new to the Star chart, so they can have new goals to work towards.

This makes it fun and profitable, and teaches them to be accountable. They are participating with family chores, and gaining an early education as to the value of their efforts, and time.

It's important for children to have their off time. Time for them to just be kids, and use their imagination. Having time to play free of agenda, teaches them how to be happy children.

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