Stop the summer slump with this summer chore chart, designed to make your children earn their electronics time.
I think my children assumed that summer break was going to mean endless hours in front of a television screen or with a Kindle in their hands.
In their sweet little minds, they were lounging on the sofa as I – the dedicated mother that I am – would serve them Kool-Aid Burst and Pop-Tarts on a silver tray. Never drifting too far and available at their every beck and call. Not mention being always ready to intercept falling pieces of trash that float from their fingers to the floor.
REALITY CHECK!
Am I dedicated? Yes.
Am I dumb? NO!
Allowing my children to slide through summer means more weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth in August when it’s time to go back to school.
That’s why I am making them WORK for electronics time.
In our home, “electronics” include anything that requires batteries or a plug to operate. That includes tablets, televisions, and all those other things that kids would rather do than reading a book or doing chores.
We also develop a problem in the summer time that I call “Hygienic Amnesia.”
WHY do they suddenly forget how to use a hairbrush when the final school bell sounds? And I refuse to smell funky breath for the next two and a half months. Gag! No way. The pre-pubescent boys will scrub away and change their socks DAILY.
So all of the chores and personal hygiene needs became payment for electronics time. Consider each pass of the broom as an amazing currency that purchases battery chargers and Minecraft.
You want screen time? Do your chores.
Now, I should note here that my husband and I also have chores to do each day… much to Bill’s chagrin. So we are not using our kiddos as child labor. We are equally distributing the tasks required to maintain a small house full of six bodies during the hot summer months.
And apparently, we are not the only ones caught in the laziness struggle.
When I shared my photos to our Facebook page, the outcry was immediate. “I need this chart!” So I made a pretty one for you.
Free Printable Summer Chore Chart
Download the Free Printable Here.
Be a helpful friend, please, and share this with others!
Two hours a day of electronics time is really too much! It’s not just my opinion, a lot of doctors advice not more than one hour a day, for kids and even teens. Screen time has bad influence on their growth, eyes issues, body posture, iperactivity.
It’s also more healty to stop all the electronics at least one hour before bedtime. I know limiting screen time could be hard, I use parental control software with my daughters, 1 hour a day on school days, 2 hours a day on weekend. It not only prevent any inappropriate stuff (websites, apps, messages,….) but it automatically limits the electronics to my preset time (so much less discussions about), in addiction to let me check all their electronic activities.
I read so many good advices on your blog, and I’m very thankful for that, so I cannot lose this chance to give you mine. I strongly suggest you to limit screen time to maximum 1 hour a day and to use one of these essential parental control.