elementary Archives

Teach Responsibility to Your Kids with this Chore Bingo Printable

May 23, 2021February 24, 2022by Amy Senter6 Comments

Giving your kids chores is a great way to teach them the value of serving others, working as a team and learning responsibility.

I JUST CLEANED THAT

I know personally that when my house is a disaster, it stresses me out. Many times when I’m anxious, I’ll go around and straighten up to feel a little more in control of the situation. I can find things, I can sit comfortably, and everyone seems to be in a better mood when things are in order.

Over the years I’ve experimented with a few ways to get the kids to help with housecleaning in a way that doesn’t require me to yell and limits how much my husband and I have to clean up at night. I want to teach them how to clean up after themselves not only to help me out, but to train my kids to grow in responsibility. When you teaching your kids to help out around the house, they learn to:

Organize
Take care of their things
Respect other people’s things
Appreciate what you do for them
Work as a team
Learn skills needed as an adult

A PRINTABLE CHORE BINGO CHART FOR TEACHING KIDS RESPONSIBILITY

Use this chart based on your child’s age and skill level. You can choose the chores, they choose the chores and you can vary whether they need a row of 5 or an entire black out. You can even extend this lesson into learning about allowance and spending or give them deadlines to work toward.

Whether you reward your kids with an allowance or some other prize, it’s good to have a goal to work toward, especially for younger children. Here are some prize ideas:

Candy
Money
Ice cream
Cookies
Chocolate chips
Popsicle
Marshmallow
TV time
Video game time
Back rub
Stay up late
Pick dinner
Choose family movie
Choose game for family night

While I don’t always reward my kids for cleaning (because doing things to be kind is necessary), it helps for them to have something to look forward to. Mix these methods up to keep the kids motivated. Just think—you might be able to have a clean house by tonight without all the stress and yelling!

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5 Tips for Being Present in the Moment with Your Kids

May 15, 2021March 3, 2022by Amy Senter8 Comments

When life starts to get hectic, is to slow down and go back to the basics. Find out how being present in the moment benefits your family.

ALL KINDS OF MOMS

I used to be THAT mom.

The mom with a curriculum for her toddler.

I finished four years of teaching before I had my son, so he became my classroom. The days were filled with endless possibilities. I had energy, motivation, excitement!

Over the years, we explored our city and made homemade alphabet books. We fed ducks at the park, strolled through art museums and baked muffins together.

Then I had a daughter and got sick. I lost track of the days and playtime went out the window.

But even when I started to improve, I was in a constant state of hurrying, like I was trying to play catch up for the years that I lost. When my daughter stopped to literally smell the roses, I asked her to pick up the pace.

SLOWING DOWN AND BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT

One of the best things I do for myself when life starts to get hectic, is to slow down and go back to the basics. To sit and just be a mom.

I’ve learned to simply play with my kids without multitasking, without a time limit, without a plan.

To run out in the rain with my son. To find roly-polies with my daughter.

The joy of playing hide and seek or painting pictures together.

To be THAT mom.

“Children teach us so much about anticipation. You can see it in how their eyes sparkle when they’re told that something interesting, anything really, is on the horizon. They wait expectantly and let their mind travel to the most extraordinary places—and they don’t try to drag it back to safety if its wandered too far. But for some reason it seems like when we all cross over into adulthood, we suddenly are no longer able to dream without boundaries. Instead we are expected to see the world in black and white, or as wise and foolish. Heartbreak and letdowns are all around us. They’re an inescapable part of life. So every chance I get, I want to teach my kids to dream and hope and expect good things. I also try to show them how to find ways to be those good things in other people’s lives.” – Chip Gaines

5 TIPS FOR BEING MORE PRESENT IN THE MOMENT

1. SCHEDULE TIME TO PLAY EACH DAY AND PUT AWAY ELECTRONICS

When you decide to slow down and play, give them your undivided attention. Even being fully present for ten minutes of Go-Fish can make a huge difference in your child’s behavior. It also helps you to enjoy the moment instead of being mentally stuck somewhere else.

2. GET OUTSIDE

Not only is it good for the kids, it’s good for your body and mind too. Nature is the perfect place to enjoy the simple things. Last summer, I caught a giant lizard. We bought him a cage and watched him shed his skin every month and fed him crickets. The kids loved to talk to him and it was a chance for us to learn about Texas Spiny Lizards online. When he grew too big for his cage, they let him go back outside to play with his friends.

A three-legged squirrel with no tail hung out in our front yard a few years ago. We saw him during walks and named him Ninja Squirrel.

One neighbor has a ceramic goose by their front door that they dress up in different holiday outfits throughout the year. Every time we walk by, my daughter waves at “Mama Goose”.

In the spring, we fill up bird feeders. When summertime arrives, out come the sprinklers. We go on bike rides in the fall and jump in the leaves in the winter (It’s Texas y’all).

Find what makes your neighborhood unique and start your own “slow down” traditions.

3. LET YOUR KIDS CHOOSE THE ACTIVITY

I don’t want to play dolls or trucks for an hour. But learning to let go of control can be rewarding, even if the game they made up is ridiculously boring. The ideas your children come up with will give you insight into their social lives and their passions.

4. BE SILLY

Learn to tell jokes with your kids and let loose so that they can see you as the fun person you are, not just the disciplinarian. This week I spent time practicing karate moves with my son and tap dancing with my daughter. I was pretty terrible at it, but they didn’t seem to notice.

5. BE CREATIVE

I love teaching my kids how to do things from my childhood like making paper airplanes, telling jokes and doing magic tricks. I taught my daughter how to hold water in a straw with her finger the other day and she thought I was a genius. My son was amazed to learn how to shoot paper off a straw. I haven’t got to spit balls yet. It doesn’t take much.

I think you’ll find that when you slow down, life becomes much simpler. Take the slow down challenge today!

Creating Family Goals for the New Year

January 13, 2021February 17, 2022by Amy Senter14 Comments

Bring your family together by creating goals that define what you want to look like as a family. Get your free template printable here.

FINDING A MENTOR

A few years ago I was lucky enough to find an amazing “Mom group” with mentors that helped me tremendously as a parent. Finding a mom that’s a season ahead of you doing things well is one of the best parenting resources you can find. If you don’t have a mentor in your life, ask yourself who do you know that is parenting their children with patience and leadership?

No one’s perfect, but who is raising their children in a healthy, spiritual direction? Text them, call them, ask them to lunch. It starts with you—don’t be intimidated. I’ve found that older women in my church feel so appreciated to be asked to coffee to get parenting advice.

CREATING FAMILY GOALS

I was introduced to the idea of a “family mission statement” and for the first time saw how I could bring my family together as a team, while teaching my kids Biblical truths. Every family is different, so your goals will be worded differently. When I wrote this goal poster (originally in 2016), I wanted it to address our current issues.

Preschool temper tantrums
Sharing with a baby sister
Cleaning up after ourselves
Using manners
Being respectful
Making my children feel loved and secure

Then I added the “Fruits of the Spirit” as a kind of rule chart for my kids to refer to. When someone was caught not sharing or lying, I could direct them to the family goals and ask them what Fruit of the Spirit they needed to work on. Instead of focusing on what they did wrong, it changed their focus to how they could make it right.

PRINT YOUR OWN FAMILY GOALS CHART

Write out your list of what you want your family to look like and create your own set of family goals…or feel free to use mine and have your kids draw a family picture in the middle.