Put away your toys. Clean your room. Take out the trash. We learn these things we must do early in life to prepare us for life. But as a child what if your ‘to do’ list included items that inspired and gave joy in preparation for life. Read a book. Bake cookies with Mom. Build a project with Dad. Dance around the house. (I don’t know about you, but I still dance around the house.)

And what if these ‘to do’ items were mixed in with the cleaning and putting away. It’s like putting sprinkles on broccoli. Purchase a box of colored stars and use them in place of a check mark. When the checklist is filled with stars, punch holes in the sheets and store them in a special binder. Then print a new Child’s To-Do Checklist and start the fun all over again. I’m hungry Mom – what are we making for lunch!