To quote the famous nanny: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and ’snap,’ the job’s a game.” Though I have yet to find the element of fun in scrubbing toilets and mowing the lawn on a hot summer day, there is something to be said for making your children’s household jobs fun. The Chore Board: A Helping-Around-the-House Game from Chronicle Books takes Mary Poppins’ wisdom to heart–and to your fridge:

Even the most reluctant household helpers will be clamoring to clean with The Chore Board. Parents just pick a reward for each child, and then every well-done job moves the helper one step closer to the desired prize. A little motivation goes a long way!

The Chore Board set includes a magnetic board about 15 inches long by 9 inches high, 8 playing pieces (my favorite is the Dust Princess) and a dry-erase marker so you can change out the list of jobs and the rewards. The kids excitement upon receiving The Chore Board was a good omen–maybe, just maybe they would actually want to help around the house so Mom wouldn’t have to play the martyr for the rest of her life!
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We quickly read through the directions and set up our Chore Board. You’d think Mary Poppins’ spirit were hovering in our home with how excited the kids were to do an odd job or two (we limited it to two a day) so they could move another space toward their goal. The girls had jobs that worked well for their ages (tending the little ones, vacuuming, dusting, doing dishes on Mom’s dish night), while George had “jobs” best for his age (brushing teeth before bed, taking a nap, cleaning up his toys). George made it to the end and was able to pick out a toy (dang that super-cheap light saber!), Madison made it and picked out her flower seeds for her planter and Lauren eventually crossed the finish line for her daddy-daughter date, which Dad still has to make good on.
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The second time around The Chore Board has lost a bit of its “newness” and those little magnetic playing pieces are moving at a snail’s pace, but the authors mention this might happen. The trick is to put the Chore Board away for a while and then bring it out for another round. That’s probably what I’ll do once they cross the finish line. (This trick works well for toys, too!)

For those of us who can’t afford Mary Poppins and are out of ideas for encouraging our children to help around the house, The Chore Board is a wonderful way to turn grumbling into gaming! –Emily

*** Giveaway!!! Chronicle Books is giving away one copy of The Chore Board! Please leave a comment with a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: May 26, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

* Congratulations to Melissa S., the winner of The Chore Board giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

tags children, chore chart, Chore game, games, Mary Poppins, Motivation, reward systems, The Chore Board

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