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Week 01 · Why We Help

Monday

A home runs on shared jobs
// A home runs on shared jobs
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: A home runs on shared jobs

Chris the Coyote trots up to the den. "Big news, friends. Helper season starts today!"

Ferris the Fox unrolls a long paper. "This is a Helper chart. Every friend in Fern Hollow has a job at home."

Hazel the Hedgehog tilts her head. "Why do we need jobs?" Ferris smiles. "Look at this den. Who swept the floor? Who filled the water bowl? A home runs on shared jobs. When everyone helps, nobody carries it all."

Ferris pins a chore chart to the kitchen wall. It has three rows of pictures and check marks.

What makes a home run

Think about one day at your home. Someone makes food. Someone washes clothes. Someone takes out the trash.

Those are jobs. Jobs do not do themselves. When one person does every job, that person gets tired.

When the jobs are shared, each person does a little. The home runs smoothly. That is why we help.

  • Shared jobs mean nobody carries the whole load alone.
  • A helper learns real skills that last a lifetime.
  • Helping shows your family you care about them.
  • A tidy, calm home feels better for everyone.
WHY DO WE HELP?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What does it mean when we say a home runs on shared jobs?
Which one is a real home job?
What happens when one person does every job?

Jobs you already see

Jobs hide in plain sight. Look at this table. Each job has a reason behind it.

A good helper knows the reason, not only the job. The reason is what makes the job worth doing.

JobWhy it matters
Clearing the tableThe next meal has a clean place to start.
Putting shoes by the doorNobody trips, and shoes are easy to find.
Filling a pet's water bowlA pet stays healthy and happy.
Carrying in a grocery bagThe food gets cold or put away faster.
Who carries the load when jobs are shared at home?
What word means a set of steps you do the same way each time?
What does putting shoes by the door stop people from doing?
StatementTrue or false?
A home runs on shared jobs.?
Jobs at home do themselves if you wait.?
Helping is a way to show your family you care.?
Only grown-ups can be helpers.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEChildren can be real helpers. Every job that gets done helps the whole home.

From job to habit

A job done once is nice. A job done every day becomes a habit. Habits are how helpers stay helpers.

This week you will build one. Here is the path from a single job to a daily habit.

PUT THE HELPER PATH IN ORDER.
  • ?Notice a job that needs doing.
  • ?Pick jobs that fit you.
  • ?Write them on a Helper chart.
  • ?Do them and check them off daily.
WHY THIS EXERCISENotice, pick, write, do. That is the whole week in four steps.
In the story, what did Ferris unroll to show the friends?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe Helper chart is the tool you will build this week. It keeps jobs clear and fair.
Try it
Walk through one room with a grown-up.
Point to three things that someone did so the room looks this way.
Say who you think did each one.
Safety first
Only look and point today. Do not lift, move or clean anything yet.

Great start, Helper! You can see the jobs that keep a home running. Tomorrow you will learn how to notice what needs doing before anyone asks.