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?
