Chores

Chores are a great way to practice responsibility.

Grade Level: 6-12

Character Skills

Responsibility

SEL Skills

Self-Awareness
Self-Management

Academic Skills

Effective Problem-Solving

Definitions

Responsibility

Do what you are supposed to do. Try your best.
Persevere. Keep on trying.
Be self-disciplined.
Think before you act. Consider the consequences.
Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes.

Self-Awareness

Identify and understand emotions, values, attitudes, motivations, mindsets, and personal attributes.

Self-Management

Regulate emotions, attitudes, and actions, and manage negative emotions and impulses.

Effective Problem-Solving

Employ critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems and make rational, ethical, and effective decisions that produce the best possible result.

Learn more about our character, SEL, and academic outcomes.

Share This Activity

Students will examine how messy spaces can impact their lives and how chores and cleaning connect to their responsibility skills.

Materials

A printed copy of Picture 1, Picture 2, and Picture 3.

Activity and Discussion

Hang the pictures on the wall. Ask students to stand next to the image that best represents how tidy they keep their belongings.

In partners or small groups, ask students to discuss the following questions.

How could clutter and being messy cause problems in people’s lives?
How have you struggled with clutter in your mind, home, locker, and life throughout this year?
Rate yourself from 1 (low) to 5 (high) on being responsible and caring for the spaces in your life?

Large group discussion:

What does it mean to be responsible
How can being cluttered or having a messy room/locker/backpack or mind show your level of responsibility?

Literacy and Discussion

Students read the “Psychology of a Messy Room” article and then discuss in small groups.

How does disorganization or messy spaces make you feel?
What does the article say about the psychology of a messy room?
How can we be more responsible by decluttering/cleaning?
What is one space you are going to clean this week/month?

Family Connection

Create a chore list as a family and post it in a prominent place. Or, try an app to help keep your chore list organized.
Donate any items you have not used in the last year.
Pick up garbage in the neighborhood as a family.
Dinner discussion ideas:
- What does it mean to be responsible in your family?
- What is one space in your life that needs to be cleaned?
- How does keeping an area clean and organized show you are responsible