This clothes pin responsibility chart is a quick and easy craft that serves a purpose. By hanging on their door knob, kids are easily able to see what is expected of them each morning and get the sense of satisfaction and pride as they move each clothes pin to the “done” section!
I’m forever grateful for the moms that came before me for coming up with such simple, clever ideas I can adopt and bring into my own motherhood path. This clothes pin responsibility chart is one such idea. Hailey made hers at Girl Scouts and immediately took to it. It’s been a couple months since she brought it home and she still gets a great sense of accomplishment and pride when she moves all her clothes pin into the done section.
She takes a lot of pride in her morning responsibilities and lately she’s been bringing Kaitlyn into the action. This got me thinking. Kaitlyn will be four next month, and though she does get the unavoidable and unintentional lower expectations benefit of being the baby of the family, I want to ensure she also learns what is expected of her as she gets older. I decided it would be a great time to make a chart for her, too!
All you really need for this project are foam door hangers, generic clothes pins, and some fine point Sharpies. Of course you could also get stickers or glitter or anything else you wanted to make them pretty, but I like to keep my craft standards low, so I stuck with simple.
I used a Sharpie to outline the foam hanger and divide the section into to do and done. I wrote her name at the top then wrote her responsibilities on both sides of the clothes pins. Of course there are a million ways to alter this, as you could section it off from left to right instead of top to bottom, so feel free to go wild.
The girls’ responsibilities differ slightly, for age reasons. Kaitlyn (age 3 1/2… OK, almost 4) sticks to the basics:
- Make Bed
- Brush Hair
- Brush Teeth
- Wipe Down Sink
- Pick Up Toys
And Hailey’s (age 6 1/2) adds in:
- Do Dishes
- Empty Hamper (she added this one herself, which I have to remind her does not need to be done daily)
Both hangers include my personal favorite: ASK MOM. Short for: Ask Mom if there is anything you can help her with.
I love Renee (our amazing Girl Scout leader) for adding this responsibility in because it brings such joy to my heart when I hear Hailey ask “Mom, is there anything I can help you with?” Yes, I know she’s been prompted, but what a wonderful habit to start to create!
I refer to this as a personal responsibility chart, not a chore chart. I don’t do that to be obnoxious, but because I feel like this list is more representative of self-care acts the girls should be doing daily. I’m thinking when summer starts I’ll add a “complete chore list” clothes pin to each of their hangers too, which will allow me to dole out chores as needed. After all, I love clean windows, but they don’t need to be sprayed and wiped down every day.
Also see: Age Appropriate Chores for Young Kids: Personal Responsibilities Versus Chores
I hope you find this chart as simple and genius as I did. I can attest to the fact that it works beautifully for my six year and as for Kaitlyn, well, only time will tell, but she sure has enjoyed piggybacking on her sister’s chart!
What is your favorite way to teach the concept of responsibility to your kids?
Is there a genius mom idea you’ve come across that you absolutely love?
Jennifer says
Love the chart! Have a silly question though… what does Kaitlyn use to wipe the sink down? I’d like to give this chore to my daughter too.
Brittany Dixon says
Just a rag! I keep one under the sink in the bathroom and wash it every few days (or so… ;)). It grosses me out when toothpaste is left in/around the sink so it’s one of my favorite chores they do!
sherry says
What a wonderful idea and so simple to incorporate! The “Ask Mom” gives room for additional help if needed. It is a mini visual version of my “to do” list each day.
Brittany Dixon says
I considered making one for myself too 😉
John J. says
Like the concept and practical use of the “personal responsibility” chart. Clever, easy, functional. Another example of good parenting by the Dixons!
Brittany Dixon says
Once again, I take what y’all instilled in me while growing up and turn it into content 😉 I’m so grateful to have had the best to show me how this parenting thing is done! <3
shannon says
I love this idea! My son has expressed interest in helping around house but in order to get an allowance! What are your thoughts on this? I like the idea of him helping with the daily responsibilities but I honestly do not see him being motivated without there being money involved. However I do not want him to help just to earn money either. What are your thoughts on creating 2 charts- One with daily responsibilities and another with extra activities that he could earn an allowance doing?
Brittany Dixon says
I think it’s a great idea!
For us, we really want to make sure the concept of “you do this because you live here and are part of the family” to be hammered in before introducing above and beyond. But now that Hailey is 6 1/2 I could see us introducing a system of “work for hire.” Basically her personal responsibilities will stay the same, and I might add in 1-2 chores per day (clean kitchen baseboards, empty trash, etc) and all that would be expected. Then from there I can see us setting up a board with a chore and a dollar clipped under it that she could opt to do. For example, pull weeds from the front flower bed would get her $1 and that would be hanging there as an option for anytime. I think that sounds like a fun way to do it that would work well for her!
shannon says
Oh I like that! Thank you!
Kathy says
Love this. Creative and easy. 🙂
Kelly says
HI! Just a heads up – you are correct that the kids are saying “Extra” these days. That being said though, it is a play on the idea of being “extra” special relating to an individual with special needs. From what I can gather about you from this blog, I don’t think that is the type of trend you would want to get behind.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh! Absolutely not! Going to delete it now. That shows me to act my age and quit trying to keep up with teen lingo. That’s terrible. Thanks for the heads up!
Cassie Findley says
Implementing this asap for my 3.5 and 5 year old!! Curious; do they get anything when they finish it all? Also…if they cant read; do they eventually memorize it? Going to hunt for some visual stickers to put on the clothespins but not sure what I will find =)
Brittany Dixon says
Search online for chore stickers! I’ve heard people have found some good ones for visual chores. We didn’t do an official reward for completing the chart, though you totally could! We just did a lot of high fives, excitement, and a happy attitude into the day.
Andrea says
Excited to give this a try for our two little guys!