Chores in the school day

[MyLittleWonders]

When are chores done during your school day? (Or even on non-school days?) I feel I have done my children a disservice (and added immensely to the work on my plate) by not having chores be a regular part of our day. Right now when they wake, they play for up to an hour (they do not all wake at the same time - sometimes there is almost an hour between first up and last up). Then they eat and we finally get school going. The older two have attention issues and so we take breaks after about 1 hour of schooling, which means they have a "recess" between the two morning "cores" and then a recess at lunch before our afternoon block, and then free time when that is done. There is not an assigned time for chores and honestly, they get so frustrated when I ask them to do anything around the house (especially my oldest - we are working with him on the realization that he is on the only person in this family). I need to figure out how to work in chores. Do you do chores first thing in the morning? Is there no free-time/recess time until chores are done? Do you break chores into smaller chunks (maybe morning and afternoon)? Help please. :)

[MamaT]

My children do chores right before school. I get them all up at the same time and they know that beds made, chores done, breakfast all has to completed by 8:30 when school starts. It is simply part of our routine.

[Samiam]

We do chores after school work, before my children are allowed to have their "free time".

We don't get up at any certain time, and like you, my three DS wake up at different times. We usually eat around 9a-ish, and plan to be at schoolwork no later than 10 a.m. (on a really good day it would be earlier, but never any later).

 

DS7 and DS4 usually play for an hour or so, while DS11 gets to work on his schoolwork, with my assistance. Then I call DS7 in to get started and DS4 usually follows along wanting his schoolwork. They are usually both done in a hour, MAYBE two (just depends on what point of the school year...right now we are winding down, so schoolwork is lighter, but during winter months, DS7 has a bit more and it could take 2 hours depending on his cooperation).

 

DS7 and DS4 would be done by lunch. Often DS11 would have something to finish after lunch. DS11 and DS7 both have to do 2 chores a day. This is not negotiable, and the chores vary depending on what I feel needs to be done that day. They do age appriopriate chores. DS4 is just now on the threshold of having chores. By age 5, he will get one chore a day. At age 7, it goes up to two. These are not hard chores by any means. It's more about getting into the habit of doing chores, understanding that we all have to pitch in, etc.

 

DS11 and DS7 know that their chores have to be done before they get to: play video games, watch TV, play outside with friends, or anything else they find "fun". Since we have always been like this, it's not even a issue. Well, at least for DS11, it's not an issue. That's his personality. He's a rule follower, for the most part. DS7's personality is that he doesn't want to always follow the rules, he's a fun crazy guy, but also a bit defiant. There have been many a day where he simply refuses to do his chores. I don't yell. I simply remind him of the repercussions (they also get $$ taken from allowance in this instance). So he chooses not to have any "fun" that day. That sounds harsh, but it's not like he is locked in a closet. He stills plays with his toys and brothers. But if a friend comes to the door for him, nope can't play. He knows the choice he has made. AND those chores will often get added to the next day (if I remember to do this). He is making the right choice more and more often these days, and that's all part of the training process.

 

I read once, and can't tell you where, that we should not put chores BEFORE schoolwork, but remember that our children are home to be educated and that should be our priority. If they were marching out of the house at 730a.m. to get on the bus, would they have to do their chores first (assuming we are not talking about farm work where animals would need to be fed)? (It was said more precisely when I read it, but the point made it home to me) My priority in the a.m. to get them doing schoolwork. Once that is completed satisfactorily, they can have some choice in how their day goes. Are you going to get your chores done, and have the freedom to do what you want, or are you going to be lazy and then get no choices in your day?