Chores are my best friend. A friend of mine showed me this awesome chore chart she was introducing to her child at the start of the school year this September. I looked at it and thought huh, my kids could do this. I also thought about how helpful this would be in our lives. I am happy to report that six months in and my girls are still completing their chores weekly. The way this particular chore chart worked was that it showed a column for . . .
each day of the week, then the names of chores and a space to check off which days of the week you completed the chore. We came up with an amount of chores I expected to be done daily and weekly and with everyone in agreement we started a new routine.
We decided that if they completed 30 check marks a week they would receive an allowance.
Babies/Toddlers (two to three years)
Tidying up their toys;
Putting clothes in their hamper;
Wipe up messes with towels/wash cloths;
Put clothes in the dryer;
Choosing their clothing;
Putting on their coat/shoes.
Preschoolers/School Age (four to seven)
Any previous chores;
Emptying back pack/packing back pack and lunch kit;
Match socks from the laundry;
Dusting their room;
Making their bed;
Emptying garbages;
Set table/clear table;
Help put away groceries;
Brush teeth/wash face;
Help chop up fruit and vegetables (with adult supervision);
Cleaning their room;
Big Kids (eight to 12)
Any previous chores;
Tidying up rooms in the house (living room, bathroom, kitchen);
Placing shoes and tidying entry way;
Getting the mail;
Meal prep, making lunches;
Sweeping/vacuuming;
Folding and putting away laundry;
Taking care of pet;
Emptying the dishwasher.
Teenagers
In this age group, don’t forget we are prepping our kids to eventually leave home, so the more independence they gain the better off they will adjust to the transition of living on their own.
All previous chores;
Supervise siblings;
Begin learning how to cook meals;
Cleaning bathrooms;
Washing mirrors/windows;
Mopping floors;
Note — Children who live on farms may have a different list of chores and responsibilities pertaining to their family business. They are also taking away so much from the responsibility they are trusted with. They may begin their love for farming and animals in this way.
Trick for convincing kids to tidy up/pick up around the house — instead of nagging kids to pick up forgotten items around the house have a bin that collects everything left lying around the house (ponytails, headbands, hockey sticks, pucks, balls, cars, pencils, etc.) At the end of each week, tell the children that whatever is left in the bin is going to get thrown out (or stored away in the cupboard where they can’t access it). This might have to happen once for them to catch on but I guarantee they’ll be checking and emptying the bin regularly after that without nagging.
These are just some ideas to get you started. Any responsibilities you choose to give your child will prepare them to become independent and hopefully help with house work. It will also help your child develop an awareness of time management.
If they know something has to be done by a given time they will have to learn to schedule their events/activities accordingly. Have fun getting started on changing your household.
