About a year ago, I put up this little note up in my kitchen, and it has helped keep the peace when we are getting out of the house. The kids are already dressed and fed by the time they get to the back door, so these are the last few things we need to get through. Instead of yelling, whining, or crying (from me), I simply ask them, “Did you go through the whole list?”
Think your kids are too young to read? Even my 2 year old works her way down the list, one by one. The pictures help, and are just little clip art shots.
And in the hustle and bustle of the morning routine, I even found I needed to add something for me on the last line.
I did have to hang the chart higher after they kept ripping it off the wall to check it, but even hung up by the light switch, they can read it just fine.
I hope this little Get Out Of The House organizing printable, which you can customize in Word, helps you get out of the house with less frustration,
10/24/13 Update: I just updated my chart- at my daughter’s suggestion! It removes mention of diapers, and adds things like lunches and coats. Download this Get Out Of the House2- free printable and feel free to customize it in MS Word for your own family’s use.
I’ve been saying I should do something like this for years. Thanks to your template, I am finally following through! I’m tweaking it for my 6th grader who is fairly independent but still needs daily reminders as he heads off to school. Now I will not have to sound like a broken record. I may also do one for his evening off-to-bed routine.
Bet you are looking forward to the day you can modify this to take off “Change baby’s diaper.”
Great idea. A friend created a similar list and laminated it. This way she can add new tasks to it (it is a more of a reminder for daily life list) and her daughter can check off what she has done.