It’s no secret, kids that are taught to be responsible grow up to be adults that are responsible. If you’re the type of parent that does everything for your perfectly capable child, you aren’t doing them any favors for their future.
Science has shown chores not only promote responsibility, but also self-esteem, and help children find their place in the family. Additionally, chores are one of the best predictors of which kids are more likely to become happy, healthy, independent adults. {source} Hard workers at home become hard workers in life — period. Powerful stuff!
With that said, is it time to start incorporating some more formalized chores amongst your kids? This post is here to inspire with some simple chore ideas for even the busiest of families!
Even my youngest can help on taco Tuesday!
For starters, if your kids are like mine, they are always looking to earn money. Parenting pros seem pretty evenly split on whether paying for chores is a good idea, so I’ll leave that part up to your family to decide because there is a lot to consider.
After going crazy hearing our kids ask for money after doing every.small.task, we decided to pay our kids {ages 5, 7 and 9} a flat rate of $2/week that we pay out on a monthly basis. They work hard for it too! It also has given us the opportunity to teach them about money, which was our biggest determining factor when deciding to pay them.
Chores obviously vary, depending on what your child is capable of, so I sorted these ideas by generic age groups — young children, middle aged children, and older children/teens. Obviously some kids are major helpers and others need more assistance before they can do things independently. This is meant for idea starters and can easily be customized.
Chore Ideas For Younger Kids
- Set the table {or at least napkins and utensils}
- Put dishes in the sink after a meal
- Wipe down table after dinner
- Dust items
- Wipe down baseboards
- Pick up toys after playing with them
- Keep room clean
- Unload/put away kid utensils from the dishwasher
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper nightly
- Assist mom and dad as needed
- Gather items prior to school, especially winter gear
Chore Ideas For Middle Ages
In addition to all of the above items:
- Wake up to an alarm clock
- Make bed daily and remove sheets when washing
- Collect bath towels for laundry
- Get the mail
- Empty backpack and lunch immediately following school
- Water plants {indoors and outdoors}
- Wipe down counters in kitchen and bathroom
- Fold and put away clothes
- Feed the pets
- Clean out the cat’s litter box / pick-up dog poop outside
- Wash windows
- Sweep and mop the floor
- Sweep front porch
- Help clean the garage
- Vacuum
- Pull weeds
- Shovel snow / rake leaves
- Pack their own snacks for school
- Help with dinner prep {including using a REAL knife}
- Use the microwave and pre-heat oven {with assistance}
- Assist with bringing in and putting away groceries
- Wash dishes
- Load and unload the dishwasher
- Bring dirty laundry to the laundry room and separate colors
- Empty wastebaskets weekly
- Take care of personal hygiene {showering solo, brushing teeth}
Chore Ideas For Older Kids
This is the time to step up the responsibilities. Don’t let your kids go off to live on their own without them knowing how to do these tasks! 😉
In addition to all of the above items:
- Clean kitchen and bathrooms
- Pack their own lunch
- Make their own breakfast
- Bathe dog
- Wash and vacuum out vehicles
- Mow the lawn
- Change lightbulbs
- Iron clothing
- Babysit younger siblings
- Walk the dog
- Cook simple meals from start to finish
- Bake items such as cookies
- Clean appliances {inside of microwave, oven, washing machine}
- Taking the trash out
- Do their own laundry
- Change sheets
- Check oil on the car and add windshield washer fluid
- Call and order takeout foods
- Help with meal planning and grocery list creation
- Return cans at the grocery store
- Make a return at the store {driving age}
One of the biggest surprises our family has seen with implementing chores is how fast things have become a habit. After some initial training on how to do things, the kids have been more willing to just jump in and help versus being asked 100 times.
Implementing more “official” chores has been such a game changer for our family because it leaves us more time for fun!
Teach your kids the “work hard play hard” mentality young and watch them blossom 😉
I’d love to hear what works for your family. What types of chores do your kids help with? I’ll add them to this list!
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