When do your kids do chores?

[JRmommy]

After speaking with a friend, I've been pondering the pros and cons of doing chores at various times of the day.  Her kids begin their day with chores, and they don't start school until 10 am.

 

Do your kids do chores first or do you wait until after school is done?

[Chris in VA]

When we homeschooled, I'd intersperse chores with lessons--so I could send dd off to do a couple of chores and have time to teach ds one-on-one.

He was high school, so he was able to do all his chores without supervision. He called doing chores, "The price I pay to be homeschooled." :laugh:

[SemiSweet]

Mine do chores in the morning and they might have dishes in the afternoon before they go play.

[Mystie]

We have a morning chore, a lunch chore, and a before-dinner picking up time. And then there's an "extra chore" on Saturdays before they start their free time for the day.

 

So, no chore time ever takes very long, but it makes a huge difference in the state of the house when I'm consistent with it!

[Korrale]

Basically when they need to be done. My son has a few chores. For example he needs to take the recycling out. Sometimes I have to remind him but I am trying to train him to notice it for himself and get to it. Likewise with laundry and cleaning up after himself. Setting and clearing the table get done as needed around meal time.

[HS Mom in NC]

During the school year, right after school.  During the summer and on school breaks, right after breakfast. Of course, dish related chores happen after meals and when the next load finishes in the dishwasher.

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

 

[Heidi]

We wait until after school is done. I like to wake up to a clean house. Dh is deployed, so we are doing chores right before bed. When dh is home, we do chores before dinner and again before bed. On Saturday they do the once a week chores.

[OneStepAtATime]

We are like many on here, there are some chores that get done before breakfast (like feeding the animals), some chores we do at lunch time, some chores are late afternoon.  And some chores get done when a kid is particularly wiggly and unfocused, not as a punishment but just to give them a chance to go do something physically productive with positive feedback.  Really helps usually with getting them back on track and feeling more enthusiastic about school.  We also do a few things on Saturday as a family, projects that may take one weekend or multiple weekends....

[Dory]

My kids get their beds made and animals cared for before school time. Around lunch time they take a break and usually do another outside chore if there's something to be done out there. After school is done they finish up any remaining chores and help out as needed.

 

Their morning routine is pretty well set and the older they get the more I add to the routine.

[myfunnybunch]

My boys do morning chores after breakfast, and evening chores after dinner. We all clean the house together on Saturday mornings.

 

Morning chores include making beds, dealing with their own breakfast dishes, and doing one short household task. 15-20 minutes, tops.

Evening chores rotate weekly. One cleans up the dining area, one helps with the kitchen, one does the hallway and tidies the bathrooms. 20 minutes, tops.

Saturdays, each person (young and adult) does three tasks. Usually the boys have a couple tasks they do regularly, with a third that either they choose or I assign, depending on what we notice needs to be cleaned most. It takes about an hour for them to finish.

 

If there are additional tasks that need to be done during the week, I'll usually ask for help. :)

 

Cat

[IsabelC]

At the moment we do basic chores first thing in the morning, and if they want to do extra (paid) chores that comes after school is done.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Similar to many others, our chores are scheduled for morning, midday, and midnight. (Not really  ;) . Right after our studies is usually a busy time, so we do chores after our evening activities. It only feels like midnight...)

[JenC3]

We started with chores last year and I think our school start time got pushed back too far. This year we are doing more afternoon/evening chores.

 

[Based on Faith Academy]

We do chores after school. I learned with my daughter that she did her

best work in the beginning of the day and had a tendency to become

tired as the day progressed.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I guess it might somewhat depend on what you define as chores. To some, clearing the breakfast dishes and walking the dog are chores, to others they may not be considered chores.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Mine have chores scattered throughout the day.  They do beds, animals, dishes, and tidy bathrooms in the mornings...we can still get started with school by 8:30.  They take care of dishes, tidying common areas, and some laundry after lunch and before quite time. Then after school they may have some other chores like floors, trash, and general tidying after school.  They have specific cleaning chores on the weekends (dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, etc.)

[Critterfixer]

In the morning the boys make their beds, and then they go out and let the chickens out of their palace to play in the garden. Sometimes they dig grubs for the spoiled brat birds. 

The next time they have chores is in the afternoon, when I have my housekeeping time. That is after school is done for the day. 

[MrsRobinson]

Morning chores are after breakfast: clean up your own breakfast dishes, brush teeth, wash face, brush hair, make bed, get dressed.

 

DD is also required to wipe the kitchen table before and after meals and after projects, put a new trash bag in the can when an adult has taken the trash out and bring her laundry basket to the laundry room when asked. She also does the dusting on Fridays, which is house cleaning day. She just does it when I tell her to. Usually between subjects.

 

Edited to add: Both kids have to clean up their toys before they can have a bedtime treat. I tend to clean up the school books because I am picky about how they are stored. As she gets older, I will have her put those things away too.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Yeah I personally try not to think of daily tasks as "chores".  Chore is such an ugly word.  LOL

 

We try to avoid the c word here, too. ;)  We usually say tasks or some other euphemism. :tongue_smilie:

[Cosmos]

The list of things we call "chores" ds does first thing in the morning. But we don't live on a farm, so it's just the basic things a person needs to do to be presentable for the day plus a couple of contributions to the household (taking out the trash and emptying the dishwasher). Ds likes a leisurely morning so he takes about an hour to get up, eat breakfast, and do "chores". During the school year he's ready to start school work at about 8am.

 

He does other household work -- mowing the grass and helping with dinner dishes -- that happen outside of that chore time.

[myfunnybunch]

Chore is such an ugly word.  LOL

 

Kind of funny, I've heard other people say this, online and IRL, and it takes me by surprise a bit each time. In our house, "chores" just means "daily tasks." I can't imagine my kids (or myself) liking or disliking the tasks any more or less if we called them something else. 

 

Not saying others should feel the same way as I feel, just musing about the difference in mindset. I do understand how a word can carry a negative emotional load. I've got a few words like that myself, just not this one. :)

 

Cat

 

[Critterfixer]

A skunk cabbage by any other name would smell as rancid...or something like that. :laugh: Doesn't bother me either. Now housework on the other hand, becomes housekeeping. And I'm happier.

 

[sdobis]

My highly responsible 16 yo does bis chores on his own time. He does all the laundry, yard work, and helps with other things. My highly irresponsible 10 yo has a daily to do list on the fridge. It has an early morning, morning, afternoon, evening, and bedtime routine to keep her on task. She does all the dishes, takes care of the pets, and helps with other things.

 

 

She is responsible for the dishes, taking care of the pets, and helps with other things.

[Korrale]

For us, chores are just things one does as part of a family. It is a part of life. All things we do around the house are chores. We don't have any chore chart or allowance system. But we still call it chores.

[HS Mom in NC]

Chore is a neutral matter of fact term around here.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Right, but there are actually multiple definitions, not all of them neutral.  The negative connotation is heavier than with some other words. I'd rather chose a word with more neutral or positive connotations.

 

(Says the woman who sings all sorts of songs about sweeping cobwebs from the sky or castles gleaming bright when cleaning with little ones and sometimes even when cleaning by herself! ;) )

[FriedClams]

Wake up at 7

School starts at 8:30

 

Between then 20 minutes if piano, chores and breakfast must occur. If they have time they can watch one 22 minute show. The show option is super motivation for them and I no longer need to nag about chores.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

My kids do chores off and on all day. In the winter, the cattle get fed in the morning, water hauled, calves fed, eggs gathered, sheep fed, etc. During lambing, someone checks on the ewes every 2 hours. The puppy/puppies need to be fed at noon and the lids opened for the herd to water. Lids are closed in the late afternoon (so they don't freeze) and the calves are fed in the evening. Coal has to be shoveled in the evening and the clinker pulled. Snow shoveling happens all day long some days. Plowing is done early, usually, depending on how fast the snow is coming down. Dogs and cats are fed in the evening. Not sure haying is a "chore" or a job--that can be 10 hours a day. Irrigating might be two water sets during the day, or five, depending on the meadow or pasture and if the river came up in the night. High water is at 2 am here, so the irrigating headgates may need to be checked at 5 am. My kids do their inside jobs interspersed with school work: practice cello for an hour, take out trash, do geometry, sweep the porch, go to class, check on the puppies, etc. 

 

Chores seems rather a good word choice in this situation! :svengo:  

 

After reading this list, I'll think of putting away scattered books and dishes as pleasantries of the day! ;)

 

(I wonder if Margaret in CO sometimes shakes her head at our lists....those aren't chores...THESE are chores... ;) )

[RootAnn]

Agreeing that our chores are daily (or weekly) tasks and they get done mostly in the morning. Some are afternoon or evening tasks, but most are to-be-done-before-school-starts.

 

If you didn't do your chore today & I do it for you, I get part of that child's allowance (once they get an allowance in our house - which is 7). This is set in such a way that if I do it enough during the week, you end up with no allowance or you have to pay me. The younger-than-allowance children have chores that are generally not something that needs to be done daily so I don't do those for them if they miss it.

 

Dd#1 sleeps later than the rest, usually, so I make sure her chores are the type that are best done when everyone else is out of the way (done with breakfast & started on school). 

[IsabelC]

Kind of funny, I've heard other people say this, online and IRL, and it takes me by surprise a bit each time. In our house, "chores" just means "daily tasks." I can't imagine my kids (or myself) liking or disliking the tasks any more or less if we called them something else. 

 

Not saying others should feel the same way as I feel, just musing about the difference in mindset. I do understand how a word can carry a negative emotional load. I've got a few words like that myself, just not this one.  :)

 

Cat

 

 

We've tried referring to Personal Responsibilities, Contributing to the Running of the Household and what not, but believe me, no fancy terminology makes the kids go into raptures about doing the tasks.

 

However, prettying up the lingo does help me feel good about things, so I do try to replace thoughts like "I have to tidy the bedroom" with thoughts like "I choose to tidy up because I deserve to enjoy a nice tidy room" (yes it's cheesy, but it works for me!).

[Χά�ων]

Animal care in the mornings and as needed throughout the day.

everything else as needed throughout the day.

[angelmama1209]

my kids must do their morning chores before they are allowed to eat breakfast. morning chores are get dressed, take care of jammies, make bed, brush hair and teeth. after breakfast they do their table chores (clear table, sweep floor, unload dw). before lunch is a half hour pick up time- each is assigned a room. after lunch is table chores again (cleaning counters instead of dw). after dinner is table chores (sub take out trash for dw and counters) and bedtime routine, which includes picking up their room and a bathroom chore (wipe vanity/sink, clean toilet, pick up floor/tub). they do other things as asked throughout the day.

[Dramorellis]

They just happen as necessary. In the morning they must clear their breakfast dishes, clean off the table, make their beds and tidy their rooms before we start school at 8:30. Then I might ask them to sweep the kitchen floor and put everything away, wipe down the table before lunch. Same after dinner plus cleaning up all the toys, help tidy the house. Otherwise I just ask them to help as needed, like on Sat. they dust and wipe down the baseboards, do weeding etc.

[aufan]

Oldest that are 9 and 7 get up with me before 6 and have animal(water, feed, etc. etc.) and sometimes garden work while I take care of our dairy cow. They finish up while I fix breakfast and then after eating all the kids have beds, teeth, cleaning up from breakfast to do. We start school at 8. They also help with afternoon animal chores and anything else during the day on an as needed basis. After school is for playing outside and quiet time while I do some housework that I want to do on my own. Or for those that complain or whine about doing regular chores to do some additional work.

[happypamama]

We have morning chores before breakfast and afternoon chores before dinner.

[Targhee]

We have family work (all tackle a room or a project) in the morning. Also, they each have a job caring for animals (feed, water, collect eggs, etc). They tidy bedrooms at night. On Sat they clean their bathroom, and then family yard work.

[Desert Strawberry]

Our main chore time is before breakfast. They are most motivated on an empty stomach and I can't function in a messy house. 

 

As needed throughout the day-wiping the table and sweeping the floors after meals, and such. 

 

In the evening, after dinner and before Dad Time. Finishing touches so we wake up to a reasonably tidy house.

 

Eta: How early we start depends mainly on my level of nausea and lack of sleep, but we usually are well underway by 8am. Morning chores don't slow us down.

[Coco_Clark]

My kids need to do 1 thing directly after breakfast (after putting their dish away).  They come to me for commands because they change according to my current needs.  They have been: water the garden, unload the dishwasher, finish feeding the baby (when there IS a baby), clean and dress the baby, feed the dogs (usually relegated to a 2 or under, because its very quick and easy), sweep under the table, make sandwiches for our lunchboxes, or any number of things.  I like the freedom of choosing, so we've never had a chart.  Also, my kids are very young, so the things they are capable of handling are ever-expanding.

 

They are expected to reasonably clean up any messes they've created before we eat lunch, unless they've specifically asked to leave a mess out (say, a train track they've set up and want to continue to play with that afternoon).  We play pretty loose with this rule, it's mostly just a net for EXTREME messes.

 

Then we have a 5' o clock alarm which means its time to put away what your doing and then come to me for another chore.  And again, they are mixed up.  Folding towels, putting away laundry, unloading the dishwasher, wiping down the bathroom are all fairly common.  Every once in a while in the afternoon not much needs to be done, because we've been out all day or because I've been able to keep up with everything.  They like those days :) 

 

  

[KrissiK]

Well, depends. One of DS's chores is to clear the dinner table and take out the trash. Obviously that gets done at the end of the day. One of D's chores is to clear the breakfast dishes. That gets done in the morning. But the chores like dusting, lawn mowing, etc. get done on Saturday morning.

[violingirl]

We have 3 small groups of tasks (2-3 things for each person) and do them right after meals. Dividing it up like that means that no one ends up feeling like we've had to work on the house for an hour every day, even though that's what it usually adds up to.

[happypamama]

Yeah I personally try not to think of daily tasks as "chores". Chore is such an ugly word. LOL

I call them tasks instead of chores. Chores sound boring and full of drudgery. Tasks sound happy and busy and productive.

[skeeterbug]

We do 'jobs' at the end of the school day.  It's how they earn their screen time.

 

In the morning they make their beds and whoever's turn it is for laundry will start their laundry.

 

I tried doing jobs in the mornings but it took forever for us to get our school day started.  It works much better for us to do them as an end to our day. 

[Leftyplayer]

We haven't been consistent, but chores are done after school time.  I don't set an exact time, but the deal is that "x, y, z needs to be completed before any screens."  That means they even have the option of not getting it done, but they give up screens if they don't.

[Sobeknofret]

As necessary, but I won't interrupt school time to have him do his chores, unless it's something like letting the dog in or out. Most stuff gets done in the morning, but picking up just before bed and the dishwasher loaded and started are evening chores.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

As needed, before free time.

[Ninanoo]

I just started something very similair as Mystie and I can say that it works really well. Even when i'm not on the bal llike I should be, her day runs more predictably and she actually enjoys that.

[Erin]

Bean does chores after school during the year.  Buck does them in the midst of the day, as a kind of break time.

In the summer, all chores are done before ANY screen time

[Farrar]

We usually call them "responsibilities."  Though the word chore isn't a dirty one around here.

 

Whenever.  If the recycling needs to go out, the first kid I see gets the task.  ;)  In general, chores happen when they need to be done.  If a longer cleaning needs to happen, we do it when it's time and all pitch in together.  Otherwise, the kids just have a couple of regular ones (feed and water the cat, take out the recycle, put away the laundry, etc.

[robsiew]

We just have the rule all school and chores need to be done before screen time (motivation for all the kids).  They do have a few personal chores (brush teeth, make bed, get dressed, etc) and one main household chore they do right away before school in the morning (such as start laundry and clear dishwasher).  Otherwise the rest of the chores just get done before play...