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Pick-A-Stick Chore Jar

by Nikkala · on July 17, 2017 · 5 Comments ·

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Pick-A-Stick Chore Jar has been getting a lot of use at our house this summer and I thought your family might enjoy “playing” it too.Pick A Stick

Pick-A-Stick Chore Jar

As the school year was wrapping up and my husband was getting ready to spend a month in China, there was a lot of whining and arguing going on amongst our children. I knew that if it continued I would be a total mad woman, so in my angst I grabbed a handful of popsicle sticks and furiously started writing chores on them. This is how my favorite game “Pick-A-Stick” was born. When my kids started fighting or whining I simply say “Pick-A-Stick”. They groan and usually say something like “Ah, come on” but know that I’m not messing around and head to pick a stick and get to work. It’s been going strong for a solid 3 months, so I figured it was time to share with all of you.Chore Jar

Supplies:

  • Popsicle Sticks
  • Mason Jar
  • Pen
  • Printable Label and List of Chores (free download available below)

Popsicle Stick Chores

 

I tried my best to come up with chores that my kids (ages 5-11) could do with little to no supervision on my part. There are a lot of wiping chores; walls, cupboards, door knobs etc. My kids know to grab a rag and our favorite cleaner and get to work. It seems that no matter how often those sticks are pulled, the area is ready to be cleaned again.

The jar sits in our kitchen window sill and is only used as punishment for disobeying or fighting. We’ve been using it for 3 months and is still working in our home. My kids groan when they have to pick-a-stick but know the sooner they get it done the less likely they’ll have to pick another, or even a third stick.

Download Box

One day after much arguing, my kids were busy working on their stick chores when my in-laws stopped by. My oldest was vacuuming the stairs, the middle child was sweeping the driveway and the youngest was wiping table legs. My mother-in-law was very impressed with the level of deep cleaning happening, little did she know it was because the kids were being total stinkers 5 minutes earlier.

Pick-A-Stick Chore Jar

More ideas of how to keep your kids on task this summer:

Magnetic Chore Chart

Magnetic Chore Charts

Summer Activity Jars

Morning Motivation
Job ChartsAge Appropriate Chores

age appropriate jobs

About Nikkala

is the author of this post. Want to know more about the Chicks? Click here. :)

Comments

  1. Heather says

    July 17, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    I love this idea! My twin girls fight all the time when we are home. I may try this!

    Reply
  2. Diana miller says

    January 10, 2021 at 9:35 am

    What about giving them a option of two jars one has earning money for chores or one jar has earning time on electronics

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Chore Treasure Hunt - The Crafting Chicks says:
    September 13, 2017 at 5:10 am

    […] Pick A Stick Chore Jar […]

    Reply
  2. 20 Stay-Home Activities for Kids in Singapore – Clay Workshops In Singapore says:
    July 30, 2021 at 6:25 am

    […] https://thecraftingchicks.com/pick-stick-chore-jar/ […]

    Reply
  3. Large Family Chores: How To Make Chores Fun For Children - says:
    December 4, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    […] Give them the opportunity to pick the chores by writing each task on individual slips of paper and placing them in a container for the child to pick from. You could also make one or two additional slips that say things such as “free pass” which means they do not have to do any chores for that day. Use your creativity when thinking about what you will write on these two special slips of paper. You can find cute labels and other helpful printables to make these family chore jars from The Crafty Chicks. […]

    Reply

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