Teaching kids the value of contributing to household tasks is a vital part of their development. Creating a chore schedule not only makes it easier to distribute tasks, but it instills discipline and a sense of ownership in children, too.

Coming up with an effective chore schedule involves a little planning and even more flexibility when working with children. To learn how to make a chore schedule that works for your family, here are seven tips to help.

Consider the needs of your family.

Before you create a chore schedule for your kids, you need to make a list of what needs to be done. To do this, take into account the size of your household, the age of your children, their capabilities, and the tasks that need to be performed regularly.

Then, create a list of household tasks ranging from quick and easy to challenging so that you can better determine which chores are age-appropriate and which aren’t.

Involve your kiddos.

While kids don’t pay the bills, your home is their home, too. And because of this, involving them in the decision-making process can help them feel a sense of ownership, which motivates them to take care of their responsibility.

To cement the importance of doing chores, have a talk with your children about why doing chores is important.

And don’t forget to encourage them to share what they like to do and are good at so that you can delegate tasks that they enjoy and excel in.

Assign age-appropriate chores.

Every child is unique, and when assigning chores, what’s effective for one child, might not be as effective for another. This is especially true if you have multiple children of varying ages in the home.

Different age groups have varying capabilities so you should tailor the assigned chores to match each child’s abilities.

For example, younger children have shorter attention spans, so it’s best to assign them simple tasks like putting toys away, making their beds, or helping to set the table. Older kids, on the other hand, can handle more challenging responsibilities like vacuuming, feeding pets, or washing dishes.

Establish a schedule.

To help remind your children to do their chores, be sure to make up a weekly or monthly schedule that covers who’s responsible for what task and when it should be done. Make sure your chart is easy for your child to read and understand, with plenty of visual aids to keep them engaged.

If you have kids of the same or similar ages, rotating chores not only keeps them from becoming bored but guarantees the workload is distributed fairly.

Offer incentives.

No one likes doing chores, and children are no exception. To motivate them to keep up with their responsibilities, try offering incentives like allowances, extra screen time, or special privileges like picking a game for family game night.

It can be important for parents to not only recognize their child’s efforts but reinforce the positive behavior by celebrating their accomplishments as well.

Don’t micromanage.

As a parent, it can be easy to hover over your child to make sure they’re doing their chores correctly. And sure, teaching them how to perform their responsibilities is important initially. But micromanaging them is the quickest way to cause resentment.

Instead of exerting control, offer guidance and plenty of encouragement. Mistakes are a learning lesson, so be sure to use them to provide constructive feedback instead of criticism.

Be patient and supportive.

If you want your child to help around the house, the best way to do it is to lead by example. When you perform chores, it can help to put on a positive attitude. And don’t be afraid to do some chores with your child. This teaches them the importance of teamwork and cooperation while establishing strong bonds between you.