Back to the routine has forced me to think about the indoors. The indoors means that there will be more chores to do. Since fall and school months are busier with school, sports, and holidays everyone in the house needs to help out with chores. One way to divide up the work between everyone is to create a chore chart. Post the chart somewhere everyone can see. The fridge may be a good place or if you have a family communication center. Following is a list of ideas for age appropriate chores for both personal and family.
Ages 2 and 3
Personal chores•Assist in making their beds
•Pick up playthings with your supervision
Family chores
•Take their dirty laundry to the laundry basket
•Fill a pet's water and food bowls (with supervision)
•Help a parent clean up spills and dirt
•Dust
Ages 4 and 5
Note: This age can be trained to use a family chore chart.
Personal chores•Get dressed with minimal parental help
•Make their bed with minimal parental help
•Bring their things from the car to the house
Family chores•Set the table with supervision
•Clear the table with supervision
•Help a parent prepare food
•Help a parent carry in the lighter groceries
•Match socks in the laundry
•Answer the phone with parental assistance
•Be responsible for a pet's food and water bowl
•Hang up towels in the bathroom
•Clean floors with a dry mop
Ages 6 and 7Note: This age can be supervised to use a family chorechart.
Personal chores
•Make their bed every day
•Brush teeth
•Comb hair
•Choose the day's outfit and get dressed
•Write thank you notes with supervision
Family chores
•Be responsible for a pet's food, water and exercise
•Vacuum individual rooms
•Wet mop individual rooms
•Fold laundry with supervision
•Put their laundry in their drawers and closets
•Put away dishes from the dishwasher
•Help prepare food with supervision
•Empty indoor trash cans
•Answer the phone with supervision
Ages 8 to 11Note: This age benefits from using a family chore chart.
Personal chores•Take care of personal hygiene
•Keep bedroom clean
•Be responsible for homework
•Be responsible for belongings
•Write thank you notes for gifts
•Wake up using an alarm clock
Family chores
•Wash dishes
•Wash the family car with supervision
•Prepare a few easy meals on their own
•Clean the bathroom with supervision
•Rake leaves
•Learn to use the washer and dryer
•Put all laundry away with supervision
•Take the trash can to the curb for pick up
•Test smoke alarms once a month with supervision
•Screen phone calls using caller ID and answer when appropriate
Ages 12 and 13
Personal chores•Take care of personal hygiene, belongings and homework
•Write invitations and thank you notes
•Set their alarm clock
•Maintain personal items, such as recharging batteries
•Change bed sheets
•Keep their rooms tidy and do a biannual deep cleaning
Family chores
•Change light bulbs
•Change the vacuum bag
•Dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms and do dishes
•Clean mirrors
•Mow the lawn with supervision
•Baby sit (in most states)
•Prepare an occasional family meal
Ages 14 and 15
Personal chores•Responsible for all personal chores for ages 12 and 13
•Responsible for library card and books
Family chores•Do assigned housework without prompting
•Do yard work as needed
•Baby sit
•Prepare food — from making a grocery list and buying the items (with supervision) to serving a meal — occasionally
•Wash windows with supervision
Ages 16 to 18
Personal chores
•Responsible for all personal chores for ages 14 and 15
•Responsible to earn spending money
•Responsible for purchasing their own clothes
•Responsible for maintaining any car they drive (e.g., gas, oil changes, tire pressure, etc.)
Family chores
•Do housework as needed
•Do yard work as needed
•Prepare family meals — from grocery list to serving it — as needed
•Deep cleaning of household appliances, such as defrosting the freezer, as needed
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Oh how I remember all this. Having four children and me being a single mother for half their lives we definitely had to designate chores and things to do for each other too! It had to be our way of life, and yes it did teach the two older children because they had to take care of the two younger ones, but the younger ones did get spoiled I'm afraid in a lot of ways. Go figure! Thanks for sharing. It was nice to think about old memories.
ReplyDeleteI think that happens in all families, it seemed as if sometimes I was raising 2 different families with 6 kids the older ones were held to a higher level than the other ones.
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