Explain that each family member needs to earn a certain number of points or stickers by doing chores and practicing skills before the family can celebrate together. (Having a celebration instead of rewarding with money helps your children experience the joy of a job well done rather than being focused on material things.)

Begin by helping each child make their personal due diligence chart. It should have two columns: one for chores and another for skills practice.

Divide the chore column into the number of work sessions you want your child to complete in the week to earn your due diligence party.

Divide the skills practice column into the number of practice sessions that are realistic for your child to complete in a week. Skills to practice can include schoolwork, homework, practicing a musical instrument, playing a sport, learning letter sounds or reading, reviewing math flash cards or writing to improve printing or handwriting.

Give each child stickers or have them colour in a square on their chart to track their progress.

As you encourage your child to work on their tasks each day, talk about the party you will have at the end of the week to celebrate their hard work. (The party can be a fun meal with simple decorations followed by a family game.)

During your celebratory meal, use the discussion question to talk about diligence. Share the verses below and ask your children how they think the verses relate to their week of work. Talk about your work and some of your favourite hobbies too, as they can be great examples of a parent’s concerted and enduring efforts.

Questions for discussion

• How do you feel when you look at your chore chart and your practice chart and see how much you have done?
• What would happen if a farmer didn’t plant seeds in his / her field or if a person didn’t plant a garden?
• Would a child learn to read if they never learned their letter sounds?
• Can a person get good at playing a musical instrument or a sport if they don’t practice?
• What are some ways you’ve seen Mom or Dad work hard to benefit our family?

Key concepts

For every focused effort we put in, we experience a payoff. When someone practices a skill, they get better at the task. Completing chores means a household is comfortable and healthy to live in, because the living spaces are clean, food is prepared and laundry is done.

Just as there is no harvest in the fall if seeds are not planted in the spring, a family cannot expect a house to clean itself. We must be diligent workers if we expect results. In reality, being lazy makes us miserable. Life is much more fulfilling when we are diligent. We can enjoy the satisfaction of knowing we have done our jobs well and have contributed to the family. Work is much more enjoyable if we work hard at it and do it to the best of our abilities, than if we slop through it and grumble the whole time.

Relevant Scripture

Proverbs 10:4 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

Proverbs 14:23 “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

Proverbs 20:4 “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”

Ecclesiastes 2:24 “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God . . .”