How to Make a Kid's to Do Chart
While brushing her teeth, loading the dishwasher and putting her laundry away might not top your child's list of favorite pastimes, regular responsibilities can help to develop your child̵7;s sense of competency and self-esteem. A to-do chart can help her to keep up with all of her daily tasks -- no constant nagging required -- and a creative and decorative one can make staying on track a little more fun.
Things You'll Need
- Metal baking sheet
- Scrapbook paper
- Polyvinyl acetate
- Decorative ribbon trim
- Colored paper
- Foam shapes
- Small magnets
- 3-inch-wide ribbon
- Fray stop treatment
- Fabric marker
- Embroidery needle and thread (optional)
- 1/2-inch-wide ribbon
- Sewing pin
- Sewing needle and thread
- Clothespins
- Acrylic paint
- Permanent marker
- Tissue paper
- Chenille sticks
Instructions
Cookie Sheet Chart
Lay the metal baking sheet on your work surface and measure the length and width inside the lip of the sheet. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper according to this size and then apply polyvinyl acetate to the back of the paper. Smooth it across the sheet. Apply a layer of polyvinyl acetate over top. Measure the circumference of the baking sheet and cut a piece of decorative ribbon to this length. Apply polyvinyl acetate around the top of the lip of the sheet and press the ribbon onto the lip to decorate the outer edge of the to-do chart. Type each item from your child's to-do list in a word processing program and print the list onto colored paper. Cut the list into individual strips. Arrange the strips down the length of the baking sheet. Space the strips evenly apart, leaving the bottom 3 inches of the pan empty for now. Lay out foam shapes on your work surface -- one for each item on the list -- and glue a magnet to the back of each one. Place all of the foam magnets on the bottom 3 inches of the pan. As your child completes each of the tasks on the chart, she can move a foam shape magnet next to the corresponding task strip on the sheet. Butterfly To-Do Chart
Cut a piece of 3-inch-wide ribbon to a length of about 12 inches. Apply a fray stop treatment to prevent the ends of the ribbon from fraying over time. Write your child̵7;s name down the length of the ribbon with fabric markers or embroider her name on the ribbon instead. Write the words "Things to Do" down the length of the wider ribbon, underneath your child's name. Write the word "Finished" down the length of the ribbon, above your child's name. Cut a 10-inch-long piece of the 1/2-inch-wide ribbon and tie it in a bow. Pin the bow to the center of one end of the wider ribbon and sew it in place. The decorative ribbon chore chart will hang on the wall from this bow. Lay a bunch of clothespins on a newspaper-covered work surface. You'll need one clothespin for each item on your child's list of chores and one for each of the rewards for completing his chores. Paint each of the clothespins with acrylic paint; use the same color for all of the clothespins or use a different color for each one. Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions and then write one chore on each of the clothespins with permanent marker. Turn the clothespins into butterflies. Cut 8- by 10-inch pieces of tissue paper, pinch the paper in the center and apply a dab of glue here. Slide the center of the paper into the clothespin to make the wings. Cut two small pieces of a chenille stick and glue these onto the clothespin to make antennae. Clip the chore clothespins down the left side of the ribbon. Clip the reward clothespins to the bottom of the ribbon and hang the ribbon on the wall. Now, as your child completes each of her chores, she can move the corresponding clothespin from the left, ̶0;Things to Do̶1; side of the ribbon to the right, ̶0;Finished̶1; side of the clothespin, while looking forward to the rewards at the bottom.
