The kids all have responsibilities to help around the house but getting them to follow through on all of that can be frustrating and some days, completely hopeless. I hate yelling, begging, and threatening them to do the things on their list because it takes time away from what I have to do that day. The sooner I get my work done, the sooner I have time for them and my own cleaning and straightening duties.
The people at Deck of Chores were reaching out to bloggers last month looking for moms who might want to try their product. I, being at my wits end and looking for new ideas to get the kids motivated, responded to their call and received a deck for our family to try out.
I was really excited to receive the deck of chores cards. They are colorful and each one has a picture of the chore or task on the front side. They come similar to traditional card decks in that there is a set of spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts and come in a durable container. The deck also comes with game suggestions in case you’re having trouble finding a way to play with them. They are larger than traditional playing cards which makes them great for small hands. The cards currently retail for $14.99
As a mom, I loved the concept. It’s different, it goes beyond the “chore chart” and it’s something I’ve never seen before. I certainly wouldn’t have thought of it. 
Unfortunately, my kids didn’t see it as “fun” as I did. I dare say that they refused to participate. We played one of the games and I explained how the game would work. The last five cards they had left at the end of the game, would be their chores for the week and the first person to get rid of all their cards would be taken out for ice cream. The 13 year old got up and walked away. The 8 year old got upset because he already had a list and thought I was piling more on him, the 9 year old asked if she had to do them in addition to her regular chores. Even after explaining that these cards WERE their regular chores, just in a different form, they still balked at the idea. I even explained that they could trade cards. Granted two of the cards didn’t apply to us (clean out the garage and wash the car – I don’t allow them with sponges, water, and a driveway full of rocks near my car), they still were not fond of the idea. I won’t go into specifics but the 13 year old had the biggest and most vocal opinion of the cards and thus set the tone for the entire group.
Feeling defeated, I put the cards away. After careful thought, I realized that this wasn’t a fit for my kids. They know what’s expected of them and they prefer to get their direction from me or their dad; not playing cards.
While I still think, as a mom, it’s a great idea, I realize that perhaps if it’s introduced to a younger crowd (my three year old liked the cards but didn’t grasp the concept since everything he does is “helping” and has been that way for quite a while now), it might work better. I was very excited to get them and try them out but simply because I like a product doesn’t mean my family (for whom the product is designed), will agree with me.
It would be great to see these as something for a classroom or daycare (the cards are designed for home) since teachers are constantly shifting gears and moving from one task to another and clean up is an ongoing task.
As much as my kids didn’t go for them, I still think that the concept is innovative and refreshing. If you are introducing the concept of chores to your kids, I do think this would be a fun way to do it. Unfortunately my kids are older and didn’t appreciate my idea of doing things differently. The cards did however make for a good talking point on why I was trying them out. They now understand how frustrated I am and just how little they are really required to do.
Thank you to the people at Deck of Chores who provided the product.
