A Little Something New

Is your family like ours? We struggle with the monotony of family life. As homeschoolers we spend all of our time, (okay, not ALL of our time) at home. So the drudgery of chores and school work can get the best of you. Several of my children and I suffer from ADD. Yes, even I struggle with dealing with it as an adult. I easily lose focus. I have the greatest of intentions though I do not always see them through to fruition.

My children, suffer from this as well. A few are  probably from my lack of discipline and a couple actually suffer from ADD as well.

Well, while watching my daughter struggle with it, I came up with an idea of how we could combat this problem for them, and for me!

My idea was born from PECS  that is used in the Autism circles as a form of communication. When my oldest was small we used this method for schedules. I would velcro these pictures onto a velcro strip in the order he was to do his tasks.

So, this concept is simple. Make picture cards for chores and school work. What I did was using Microsoft Word, I made a template of textboxes, and then I inserted clip art and typed in the function I wished to be completed.
I made each box the approximate size of an id card.

I printed them out on cardstock, and then cut them out, laminated them and then punched a whole in the corner.
 

 Like this:

I chose this format, as I am using this system with both readers and non readers. That way I did not have to make two separate batches.

Each child has a set of their own which is on a 1 inch silver book ring.

It looks something like this:

So each day I will add onto the ring the school assignments they are expected to finish. As well as their automatic daily chore, in our house that is "general pick up" and "clean bedroom".  Then we will all come together and the kids will pick from the chore cards. Whatever chores they pick, get added to their ring.

When they complete the card, they take it off the ring and hand it to me.
This serves two purposes. Their ring, helps them to remember what is on their plate for their day. And when they hand me their card, it reminds me to go check their work right away. Accountability for the both of us!

I must admit we have just started this, but it has been great so far. They have even taken to trading the chore cards. Which initially, I wasn't too sure about. However, the only rule I've come up with, is that both members have to want to trade. No arm twisting allowed!

The kids liked that they are not tied to the same chore day after day. And it has brought a since of fun to our day. It has also helped them remember what we have planned educationally to get done, without the verbal cues from me!

So how does your family combat the monotony of the daily grind? I would love to hear about it!  Leave a comment about it below!

Happy Homeschooling!