Z Tested...Mother Approved!

Melissa and Doug Deluxe Magnetic Responsibility Chart
On sale at Amazon.

We have been using this chart with Zara for 3 weeks now and it has been amazing. When we set it up we hung it at Zara's level in a central location (intersection of kitchen/livingroom/playroom) and made a huge deal out of her being old enough for responsibilities now that she is 3. Daniel and I sit down with her on Saturday evening and discuss what her responsibilities for the coming week are going to be, some have stayed the same each week and some have changed.

Zara chose the "do homework" one for this week (see previous post), the "make bed" means taking a nap for us. Last week we did offer a special treat once she reached 4 days of napping (because mommy goes through a near breakdown after too many not-napping days) and holy moly- it worked! Overall though, just getting to put a magnet on the chart is reward in itself, plus going over the chart each evening allows her to reflect on her day and what she might do to improve tomorrow. The "showing respect" responsibility has been especially useful, we consider things like smacking her baby sister or talking back to mommy or daddy as worthy of not getting that magnet.

We are so glad we purchased this chart, it really fits with our positive parenting approach without feeling like we must always offer bribes for good behavior. Zara is learning to set goals and motivate herself. Of course it helps that Sid the Science Kid uses charts too!