Chores

This week, my goal is to give us all a few ideas of things children can do around the house as chores or simply jobs that they might be developmentally able to do on their own. For younger kids or introducing new tasks, you should start small and model doing the chore. They will be so eager to assist you.
The sooner you start this, hopefully the less flack you’ll get as they get older and you delegate more and more ways they can help out around the house. Don’t forget our goal as parents is to prepare our children to be independent and successful on their own in the future. Knowing how to take care of themselves and their environment is a huge bonus for them when so many of our children will have to move away to attend higher education (in a long, long, long time.)

Babies/toddlers (2 to 3)
Tidying up toys;
Putting clothes in their
hamper;
Wipe up messes with towels/washcloths;
Put clothes in the dryer;
Choosing their clothing;
Putting on their coat/shoes.

Preschoolers/School Age (4-7)
Any previous chores;
Emptying backpack/packing backpack 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 (8-12)
Any previous chores;
Getting the mail;
Meal prep, making lunches;
Sweeping/vacuuming;
Folding and putting away laundry;
Taking care of pets;
Emptying the dishwasher.
Teenagers
In this age group, don’t forget we are prepping our kids to eventually leave our 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.
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 amount of responsibility they are trusted with. They may begin their love for farming and animals in this way.
Tricks 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….) 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 prepares them to become independent. It also will 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.