7 Awesome Charts to Keep your House Running

If you’re anything like me, you’re doing the best you can to keep you’re head above water. Parenting isn’t always an easy gig; some days I think I’m nailing it, and other days I feel like I’m permanently on the hot mess express. With that said, there are a few things I try to do each week to keep our household running somewhat effectively. I know charts don’t work for everyone, but recently I’ve found myself using them more, and and I found for the most part my kids like them and they’ve really been helping keep our house afloat. Here’s 7 charts we’ve been using each week.

1. After School Rules – from Thirty Handmade Days

The winter months in Maine can get long, and I often finding us in a rut of too much TV or rushing off to hockey practice. A friend sent me this After School Rules Checklist. Despite initial grumbling, it’s been really helpful for us.

image from Thirty Handmade Days

2. This Week for Dinner – from Thirty Handmade Days

Meal Planning is one of those things that can often fall to the wayside after a busy weekend, but it definitely saves time and money. I printed out this meal planning template and laminated it. It hangs on the fridge, and I make an effort to fill it in each week on Sunday or Mondays. It helps cut down on the craziness of the week, plus the kids like knowing what to expect for dinner. I also try to get their input to some to degree.

image from Simply Today Life

3. Grocery Shopping List by Category – Simply Today Life

Meal planning can save in so many ways including time spent at the grocery store. I find that this grocery shopping list helps me organize by category and figure out what ingredients I need for each meal of the week, keeping me efficient and only buying what I need.

photo from a Beautiful Mess

4. Chore Chart from A Beautiful Mess:

I personally love chore charts for my kids. We’ve been using them for years now. We use this chore chart from a beautiful mess because it simple and easy to customize. I printed one our for each of my kiddos and laminated them and write chores with dry erase. Most weeks chores are the same but I like the opportunity to change them up seasonally and based on our needs.

picture from Oh Be Little

5. Scratch of Chart from Oh Be Little

My 8 year old was having a rough start to the school year and a friend recommended this fabulous chart from Oh Be Little. While it’s a little pricey, I’ve found it lasts a long time and it’s totally been worth it. My son scratches a square each time he receives a good report from his teacher. He also tells me at least one thing positive that happened at school that day. In a year when going to school hasn’t always been his favorite, this has really helped us find the positive and have some fun!

6. Pack your Own Lunch Chart from Rage Against the Minivan

I love this simple flow chart/guide for packing lunches from Rage Against the Minivan. I’m all about fostering independent kids and packing snacks and lunches for school is a great place to start. My oldest does well with this and my middle guy is a work in progress but this definitely helpful to keep in the kitchen.

7. DIY Job Chart

I try to pick a a day each week to create a job chart with opportunities for the kids to earn a small amount – (operative word being try). These are usually jobs outside their basic chores that are expected of them. These charts are nothing fancy but I dot write sideways and cut out strips so they can bring it to me when they’ve completed a job. You can read more these charts in my Spring Cleaning post.

Do you use charts in your house? We’d love to hear which ones work well for you!

Meet the Author | Rebecca Spear

Rebecca is a mom of three energetic young boys and wife of a lobsterman living in her favorite place, the coast of Maine. Rebecca is a mother-runner/fitness enthusiast, she loves her smoothies, cooking, family clamping as well as other travels and adventures with her boys. When she’s not writing for SSM you can find her over on her blog Mainely Mama talking about her parenting journey, mom style, recipes, exercise, travel, stories from her life in Maine and more.